Naruto: Trapped Under Ice
by Thayerblue1
Summary: A Naruto/Akame ga Kiru Crossover set after the Fourth Shinobi War in Naruto. Main pairing characters are Uzumaki Naruto, Esdeath, Hyuga Hinata and Akame. See inside for details.
1. Chapter 1

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

My writing has been quite slow of late and this has been sitting on the hard drive for the better part of a year now so I thought I'd go ahead and post it after a bit of editing to take recent plot developments into consideration. I've wanted to do a Naruto/Akame ga Kiru story for a long time now but I couldn't think of an original spin on it. I don't _think_ anyone else has done it like this but I could be wrong. This takes place shortly after the Fourth Shinobi War has ended so the characters all retain their Naruto: Shippuden appearance. Naruto has his new right arm though. As far as the Akame ga Kiru side it's something of an AU that is set in the manga universe.

I haven't settled on any particular pairing yet. In this story Sakura has a sisterly relationship with Naruto so that pairing is out. Naruto/Esdeath is an obvious choice but Naruto/Hinata is a personal favorite of mine. I've also considered the possibilities of other pairings such as Naruto/Koyuki or a small harem. Time will tell. As for continuing it it's just another plot idea I've wanted to get out so odds are it will be a prologue/one shot for now.

Chapter 1

 **Snow Country, Kazahana Castle**

The beautiful Daimyo of Snow Country (also known as Spring Country) Kazahana Koyuki (age 27) was sitting in her throne room speaking with her guests Uzumaki Naruto (age 17) and Haruno Sakura (also age 17). "So you see, my own ninjas in the Village Hidden in the Snow have had no luck finding the source of the problem and the ice is steadily increasing even during the springtime. The Rainbow Glacier Generator is functioning properly and our scientists have concluded the problem lies up in the mountains. Specifically we think it's from the Koori Caldera. I'm hoping that you'll be able to help us out since you saved this country once already Naruto-kun."

Naruto and Sakura had been in Snow Country for two days after receiving the mission from Tsunade a week ago. They'd come by ship and it really took them back to when they'd traveled to Snow Country before with a film crew for the Princess Gale movie four years ago. It seemed like that had been a lifetime to the two young ninjas. Given they were teammates and old friends they reminisced a lot on the way and wondered where Sasuke was wandering at that point in time. All in all the trip was pleasant enough; however….

 _Originally_ it was planned for Kakashi, Sai and Sakura to come on this mission but Naruto's new right arm was at full strength now and he was mission ready so he eagerly joined up. So then it was going to be Kakashi, Sai, Naruto and Sakura. _Then_ , because Tsunade had a diplomatic mission she sent Kakashi on since he was to be the next Hokage (and Tsunade though it would be a pain in the ass) Kakashi was out. That left Sai, Naruto and Sakura. Then Sai delivered the coup-de-grace to the plan by coming down with the chakra exhaustion from making an ink jutsu so large that he fainted. By this point Sakura's head was spinning. She had a good mind to smack Sai around after that but he was already hospital bound….Thus it was Naruto and Sakura's mission.

Technically Sakura was in command because Naruto had never been promoted past genin (he could save the world and get SSS-ranked missions but he still couldn't get a promotion….how did that work?) but she considered Naruto her equal for mission purposes and they pretty much decided things as a team. The last two days had been rather stressful for Sakura. The head of the Village hidden in the Snow had sent a Snow ninja to join them as their guide. Unfortunately this ninja (An older jonin named Aisu Shimo) had fallen madly in love with Sakura at first sight and made Naruto's crush on her when they were kids seem subtle by comparison. Aisu Shimo had made multiple attempts to get her alone or 'have a few drinks' in order to seduce her so Naruto (of all people) was having to run interference….

Just as shocking to Sakura, the Daimyo Koyuki-sama had made several less than subtle hints that she was interested in Naruto giving her an heir. Koyuki asked him how he felt about having a family while hinting around that she wanted one. She'd asked him what he thought about moving to Snow Country since he was a hero here. Then Koyuki-sama offered him the job as head ninja of the Hidden Snow Village and seemed intent on having Naruto as her husband or at least her paramour…. _'Can anything get any more awkward?!_ ' raved the pinkette to herself. She was brought out of her ravings by Naruto who was in 'mission mode.'

"Don't worry Koyuki-sama, Sakura-chan and I will get to the bottom of this." said Naruto. "With ( _he cringed_ ) Aisu-san as our guide we'll head to the Koori Caldera immediately and find out what's going on."

The Daimyo just giggled. "Just call me Koyuki or Koyuki- _chan_ Naruto-kun. There should be no formalities between us since we're such old friends." She winked at Naruto and basically purred, "I'll be sure to give you a _very warm welcome_ when you return _Na-ru-to-kun_." ( _On the positive side at least she didn't lick her teeth at him_ ….)

Naruto and Sakura both bowed in respect and departed quickly. Sakura was really hoping they'd somehow _accidentally_ miss Aisu Shimo on the way out but her hopes were shattered when he appeared _dramatically_ in the hall and said, "Ah, _Sakura-hime!_ Being away from your beauty these few hours has been so painful. I missed you at breakfast. Your gorgeous pink hair and emerald eyes are like the air I breathe to me. I just can't live without them." He then presented her with a rose. "Please accept this small token of my endless affections I hold in my heart for you."

Sakura was perspiring heavily. ' _Oh gods….we haven't even started the mission yet and I want to_ _ **slowly, painfully murder**_ _this twit! Naruto; I can't_ _ **begin**_ _to tell you how_ _ **sorry**_ _I am for slugging or pounding your head all the time for asking me for dates when we were kids!_ ' she thought guiltily. Then she looked at Aisu and cringed at his heated stare. ' _Ewww….what am I going to do about this guy?_ ' "Er….thanks Aisu-san" she said weakly as she took the flower.

"Oh Sakura-hime, there's no need to be formal." said the Snow ninja. "It's so adorable what a shy and pure maiden you are. _Please_ feel free to call me your Shimo-kun!"

Seeing the foppish snow ninja presenting his clammy, pale skinned teammate with a flower and flashing her a smile Naruto thought to himself with a massive sweat drop, ' _Is this guy for real? I mean, my standards are pretty damn low but this guy's lines are from cheap romance novels….I read one_ _ **once**_ _and I've regretted it ever since….even worse he's old enough to be Sakura-chan's Dad_ ….'

….Back in Konoha, Sakura's Father Haruno Kizashi sneezed. "Someone must be talking about me…." he thought aloud. His wife Mebuki just shook her head at her husband's antics….

 **Snow Country, Koori Caldera Underground**

"…. _And this is where you shall remain forever by order of Prime Minister Honest for your treasonous actions in use of the Jaegers and traitorously sparing a member of Night Raid. Your own Teigu_ _ **Demon's Extract**_ _will remain active and this prison of ice is where you will die alone and forgotten_ …."

That was two years ago. Imperial General Esdeath (current age 24) remembered it only too well. Night Raid and the Jaegers bloodiest clash yet ended with her badly injured and the man she loved, Tatsumi of Night Raid wounded as well. Despite the fact he was her enemy; Esdeath basically pleaded with Tatsumi to join her and couldn't bring herself to finish him off. In the end the Prime Minister's forces captured her in her weakened state and beheaded Tatsumi before her very eyes. It broke her temporarily and the Prime Minister ordered her shipped off to another place where she would die alone in this prison created by her own Teigu.

Esdeath had a golden amulet hung around her neck that kept the Teigu active and drained her power to fuel it. On the other had the amulet kept her from dying from lack of food or water meaning she'd been completely alone and without any form of human contact for two long years. She barely had the strength to move after the two years of this living hell. On the other hand her will was stronger than ever. She'd decided when - _not if_ \- she got out of this prison she would personally destroy the Empire with her own two hands and that the Prime Minister would die in the slowest, most torturous way possible. There was the problem that she didn't even know where she was of course but somehow, someway she would get revenge….

"The strong survive and the weak die." she said aloud. It was her code of living and Esdeath was the strongest the Empire had ever seen. They would **_not_** live to regret what they'd done to her….

 **Snow Country, Capitol City**

Naruto, Sakura and their guide Shimo set out for the mountains early in the morning. They had their heavy winter gear on and Shimo was wearing his chakra armor as well. He'd suggested that when this mission was over that Sakura come back to the Snow Village with him and they could get her chakra armor as well. For some reason or other Shimo tended to forget Naruto was there during these conversations between him and his _Sakura-hime_. "Chakra armor has all kinds of advantages Sakura-hime. I believe it would suit you well. Of course; a beauty such as yourself would look fabulous in _anything_ …."

Sakura thought to herself, ' _If we could harness the power of his nonstop talking I'd imagine that the energy needs of Snow Country would be assured for decades. I'm going to go deaf. Doesn't he ever shut up?!_ '

Naruto was having similar thoughts. ' _This guy_ _ **loves**_ _the sound of his own voice. I wonder how he has time to breathe with all that hot air spewing out of his mouth. Note to self: Get ears checked for hearing damage after this mission is over_.'

"….And this is the base of the beautiful Koori Mountain." said Shimo sounding like a tour guide. "Once we get to the top we'll see the magnificent Koori Caldera and hopefully get to the bottom of this. Please let me know if you start to tire Sakura-hime because I will be glad to carry you."

Sakura looked slightly ill at the concept and said, "I assure you that won't be necessary Aisu-san."

When they reached the top two hours later both Konoha ninjas were seriously contemplating throwing Shimo off the mountaintop to see how many time he would bounce before his body was reduced to paste. Since Shimo's overzealous flattery of Sakura didn't seem to be working he decided to talk about his many brave deeds as a Snow ninja and what a manly man he was. That really didn't impress Sakura too much given she was close to both Naruto and Sasuke who were among the strongest Shinobi that ever existed….not to mention she'd been involved in saving the world from Kaguya herself….

The three finally reached the edge of the caldera and looked down into it. There was about a thirty foot drop down to the frozen lake the filled the caldera and a small island in the center. Starting at the island and fanning out to the edges were spikes of ice much like stalagmites. It was obvious they were formed by some sort of ice jutsu. "Well, that can't be natural; a frozen lake should be flat. I wonder what caused this ice formation."

' _Thank you captain obvious!_ ' thought Naruto.

"I would imagine that is part of the mystery we need to solve here." commented Sakura.

"Beautiful _and_ intelligent! You certainly have it all Sakura-hime!" gushed Shimo.

Sakura ignored that comment and turned to Naruto. "Can you sense anything Naruto?"

Naruto was already in Sage Mode and was reaching out to sense the flow of energy in the area. "There is a well of chakra directly under the island that is feeding these ice formations. I only sense one person there though and that person's chakra isn't all that high. This ice formation was probably built up gradually over time."

Sakura nodded. "Koyuki-sama did say the problem started about two years ago. It makes sense." She turned to Shimo and asked, "Do you know any ice manipulation jutsus that can clear us a path Aisu-san?"

"I'll unleash my Wolf Fang Avalanche jutsu." said Shimo. "Take a few steps back Sakura-hime and I'll demonstrate my awesome power!" Calling out the name of the jutsu a pack of wolves formed out of ice charged down into the lake of ice spikes….and promptly shattered against the spikes leaving the stalagmite like formation unharmed.

"That's quite a jutsu." quipped Naruto. Sakura just groaned and Shimo had the decency to blush.

"Let me try again." said Shimo.

Naruto shook his head. "I'll just make a small lava release rasengan and lob it though. We'll see if that doesn't melt a path." Descending to the icy lake's surface below; Naruto created a fuma shuriken shaped rasengan using his lava release that easily burned a ten foot wide path three fourths of the way to the island. Creating another slightly smaller one Naruto cleared the rest of the path. Shimo was standing there dumbfounded but Sakura had already hopped down to the lake's surface to join Naruto.

Sakura smiled and said, "It seems that new arm of yours works great."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I have to hand it to Tsunade baa-chan. This arm is a real piece of work."

Shimo caught up to the two teammates and said, "Well, what are we waiting for? A clear path awaits us! I'll take the lead." Sakura and Naruto glanced at each other and shrugged before they started trailing the annoying Snow ninja. It wasn't long before they reached the small dome shaped Island and start searching it over. Shimo soon found a large trapdoor like grate built into the permafrost. "This is strange. There are no records of a structure being built up here. I wonder if this was the doing of Kazahana Dotō during his time in power."

Naruto and Sakura soon came over and saw the grating was at least two inches thick and made of solid steel. It also was coated over in ice like everything else. Naruto took out a kunai and scored the ice only to find it was hardened with chakra. "Well, I could stream wind chakra and try to cut through it but it would take awhile."

Shimo said, "Don't be ridiculous Naruto-san. Let's just use and exploding tag."

"I have a simpler solution." said Sakura. "Move over and I'll punch though Naruto."

Naruto stepped back and Shimo saw Sakura cock her arm back to punch the frozen grate. "Wait Sakura-hime; you could hurt your delicate han-" **_BOOM!_** The grate broke off its hinges and fell into the room below. Shimo was gaping like a fish as Sakura dusted her knuckles off.

Smiling; Sakura said, "Shall we…?" as she motioned to the four foot by four foot square hole in the ground. Naruto nodded and hopped down and was immediately followed by Sakura. Shimo was still staring dumbfounded when he heard Sakura's voice from below. "It's all clear Aisu-san. You can come down now." The shaken Snow ninja soon climbed down to join the others.

….Several stories below Esdeath opened her bleary blue eyes when she felt a smaller tremor and the faint noise of the steel grate being smashed off its hinges. Her eyes suddenly sparked with determination. "Someone is here…." she whispered.

Naruto, Sakura and Shimo were on the first floor making their way down. The first floor seemed to be some sort of guard's station but it had obviously been empty for a long time. The air was musty and the tables and chairs there were all neatly stacked as if for storage. There were no signs of anything living having been there and no food or any sort of supplies was there either. "This place was obviously closed down in and orderly fashion instead of totally abandoned." said Sakura. "At least the electricity is still on and the lights work." She could see her breath in the cold, stagnant air.

"What do you think this place was?" asked Shimo in a shaky voice. "Was it some sort of hidden military base?"

Naruto pried open the doors to an elevator and smelled the stench of death. "This was an old prison. Nothing else smells that way and I've been in several of them. There will probably be some bodies down below but I still sense a living person."

Sakura sighed knowing Naruto was probably right. Naruto looked bothered but determined. Shimo looked like he was going to wet himself in fear. Naruto looked down the darkened elevator shaft before he pulled out a small marble from his pocket and dropped it. Sakura could see he was counting the seconds and soon they heard an echo of the marble hitting something metal with a 'ping' noise. It was an old exercise Kakashi-sensei had taught them. "I'd say it fell about five stories before it hit the roof of the elevator so I'm guessing at least six stories. Given the elevator has no power we can either look for a stairway or go down this shaft and pry open the doors floor by floor."

"L-let's take the stairs." said Shimo. "There would be less risk for you that way Sakura-hime. I couldn't bear to see you endangered."

Naruto rolled his eyes at Shimo's lame excuse and Sakura said, "Let's take the elevator shaft since it's faster." She pulled out a pen flashlight and said, "Do you both have flashlights?" Naruto held his up over his shoulder. They were standard Konoha issue after all. Shimo made a show of checking his uniform for one and then smiled weakly. "I take it you don't have one?" asked Sakura.

"I must have left it at home." said Shimo in an embarrassed tone.

Sakura truly wondered if this jonin was really a ninja or not. She face palmed and said, "Naruto and I will go first then."

….Downstairs Esdeath heard voices echoing quietly from the elevator shaft along with a sharp noise of something hitting metal. ' _What if they are enemies? I'm in no condition to fight them. I'll just have to wait and see. Even if I have to_ _ **will**_ _my body to move I'll get out of this hell._ '

….

Sakura and Naruto had cleared out the top four floors. Shimo had stayed on the first floor to ' _keep their escape path clear….just in case_.' The two teammates were really glad for his decision actually. The top floor was the guard's station and the second, third and fourth floors seemed to be reserved for torture….needlessly grisly torture that no human was meant to survive. Whoever left this place were obviously sadists of the highest order. There were dismembered body parts everywhere. Sakura and Naruto had both seen their fair share of atrocities in Rice Country while raiding some of Orochimaru's labs….but all of those seemed to have a _point_. Dissections, test subjects and god knows what kind of torture for information and whatnot….But this place was different. It was as if someone who had the mindset to pull the wings off of insects for fun had been let loose and created a pointless funhouse of carnage.

Naruto looked at a pile of bodies that had been ripped in half or thirds by a weighted torture wheel nearby. "Poor bastards….whoever created this place has a special place in hell reserved for them."

"This….this is just sick!" said Sakura as she teared up. "To do this to living people….it's beyond horrible! The monsters behind this have to die. They didn't even bury the bodies. They just piled them up like refuse…."

It took the two young ninjas awhile to calm down before they proceeded to the fifth floor. It was warmer on those floors but still chilly. Luckily for them they were prison cells, most of them solitary confinement as there was only a single body in each. Sakura's medical training kicked back in as she examined a few of the bodies. They were still clothed unlike the dismembered corpses upstairs. "These people starved to death around ten years ago judging by their state of decomposition. I'd say at a glance these people were all simply abandoned to die when this hellhole was closed down."

"I guess they were the lucky ones then." said Naruto morosely.

Sakura nodded sadly. "As horrible as it sounds I have to agree Naruto. This floor is clear. We'll have to figure out a way through that elevator to go down further."

"Most elevators have access hatches for maintenance." said Naruto. "Let's go check it out."

Within a few minutes Naruto indeed found an access hatch on top of the elevator. Given his skill level it was simple enough to pick the lock and get in. Much to their relief there were no bodies on the elevator and the push button numbers only went down to six meaning this was the last floor unless there was a hidden one. Opening the elevator doors Sakura smelled the musty air but noted that the scent of death wasn't so strong. There was a long line of twenty cells with ten on either side but they contained no bodies except two. The first was right by the entrance and strangely had a military uniform of some sort on a stand outside. It was almost as if the uniform was enshrined there for the prisoner to see. At a glance Sakura figured this person died around the same time the others did.

The second cell was all the way at the end and had a white and black military uniform enshrined in front of it with a rapier and emblemized with a black cross. Inside the cell was a tall, beautiful and slender woman with long light blue hair, dazed blue eyes and porcelain skin. Sakura could see she was breathing still. "She's alive…!" whispered Sakura. The woman had a large bosom and a tattoo on her chest that was in a hooked y shape. Sakura also noticed the golden amulet on her which looked ornate and incongruous with her plain gray prison clothing. Turning to Naruto who was in Sage mode again Sakura said, "Let's get her out. She needs our help."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Don't touch that amulet Sakura-chan. It's draining her chakra somehow."

Esdeath looked at the two people outside her cell through tired eyes and her eyes widened slightly when the pink haired young woman _physically_ ripped open the cell doors. ' _She is strong_ ….' thought the former General. Naruto came into her view and she saw him start to glow a golden color He reached down to the amulet that should have taken his life force and crushed it with his bare hand before he snapped the chain and removed it. Esdeath suddenly felt life _flowing_ back into her. ' _He…he saved me_ ….' She closed her eyes again knowing these weren't enemies and listened to their conversation.

"The chakra is returning to her Sakura-chan." said Naruto. "It's safe now."

Sakura nodded and said "Help me lay her out on the floor so I can examine her. The gods only know how long she's been propped up in that sitting position against the wall."

Esdeath groaned when they moved her. The former General's body protested at being moved after sitting in one position for so long. "Be _gentle_ Naruto! We don't know how fragile her body or more importantly her mind is." said the pinkette.

"I'm _trying_ Sakura-chan!" said Naruto. "I'm going to infuse her with some chakra to warm her up. Her body is ice cold." Esdeath felt the warmth travelling through her body and spirit. As Naruto's glowing hand rested above her heart she started to feel euphoric at actually having _any_ energy again. Then she saw Sakura's hands glowing green and felt the medic's hands touch her temples and the center of her forehead. Esdeath fell asleep feeling completely warm and safe as a baby….

 **Kazahana Castle**

Esdeath woke up in a soft bed and saw Sakura pulling her hands away. "There; that medically induced sleep should have kept her resting peacefully while we got some fluids and electrolytes back in her body. She'll still need to eat a lot but I've remedied all the side effects of malnutrition." The light blue haired woman opened her eyes and blinked a few times and Sakura said, "Good; you woke right up. Can you understand me?"

The light blue haired woman croaked, "You are that woman that…." She coughed and Sakura have her a glass of water that she drank greedily. "You saved me from that prison; you and the blonde."

"That's right; I don't know how long you were in there but I'm glad you are intact." said Sakura kindly. "You must be possessed of a very strong will to have survived that. Can you tell me your name? I'm Haruno Sakura, a medical ninja from Konoha."

Esdeath's eyes widened. ' ** _NINJA?!_** _They haven't existed since the Empire was founded. The Teigu were rumored to have been created to fight ninja level opponents! I must be far across the Eastern Ocean_.' "I've never heard of this Konoha place I'm afraid. My name is Esdeath and I once lived in the Empire. Perhaps you've heard of it?"

Sakura shock her head. "I'm afraid not. Everything we found in that prison you locked up in was of foreign origin. Has your Empire even had dealings with Snow Country in the past? That's where we are now. They imported some technology from somewhere years ago like airships."

A sliver of recognition shot across Esdeath's face. "There was someone from another continent the Prime Minister sold airship technology to over a decade ago. It was far across the Eastern Ocean."

"Well, it sounds possible anyway." surmised Sakura. "Why were you locked up in that awful place?"

Esdeath's eyes were filled with sadness. "I spared an enemy's life and they branded me a traitor and sentenced me to death as a result."

"I take it a war was going on?" asked Sakura. At Esdeath's nod she said, "Then they made an example of you." Esdeath nodded again. "Well, I'll make sure you're in good shape again before I leave. I _am_ a medic you know."

"I thank you." said the light blue haired woman. Esdeath may have been a bloodthirsty sadist but she was truly grateful to Sakura and her companion for rescuing her. "You had a man with you when you saved me."

Sakura smiled. "That would be my teammate Uzumaki Naruto. He's been quite concerned about you actually. He personally carried you out of that prison and down the mountainside to the Snow Country Capitol."

"May I meet him? I would like to thank him." said Esdeath.

"I'm sure he'd be happy to stop by when he gets back." said Sakura. "I have a very specific diet planned for you to regain your lost muscle tone and health. As your physician I need you to follow it to the letter Esdeath-san. If you're from another continent I'm going to need to inoculate you against local diseases here as well so you won't get sick. We're also going to start you off with some regular exercise as well to get you moving around again."

Esdeath found over the next few days that she was in the medical ward at Kazahana Castle in Snow Country. She also found that Sakura was a _very_ thorough and competent medic. ' _Sakura would make an excellent member of my staff if I were to build a new Army here on this continent_.' The former General's original idea was to head back to the Empire alone but if she could recruit and army of ninjas….she could bring the Empire to their knees! Of course she was getting ahead of herself. Esdeath found out that Naruto had been placed in charge of cleaning out the prison facilities so the dead could be properly buried. People told her that Uzumaki Naruto was _the_ strongest ninja….period.

Apparently he'd been a big hero in Snow Country for years the he recently ended the Fourth Shinobi War along with three companions; one of which was Sakura. The nurses told Esdeath of how heroic and brilliant he was and that even their Daimyo Kazahana Koyuki-sama wanted to have him as her lover. Esdeath had fought more than one so-called hero to their knees in battle but she wondered about Naruto and how strong he actually was. She already concluded that having such a hero under her banner would make warriors flock to her side for propaganda value alone. Still, for someone to be that renowned she figured Naruto must have _something_ to him….

….

Several days later Naruto returned from his grisly task and reported to the Daimyo alone, "Koyuki-sama, we are done with that place but I don't know if there are enough priests on this entire continent to lay those souls to rest." He sounded exhausted. "With your permission I'm going to go wash myself."

Koyuki's romantic plans for the evening to welcome Naruto back were stopped cold by the dead look in his normally vibrant blue eyes and she felt terribly guilty about having Naruto involved in the mess. She should have forced that coward Aisu Shimo to do the job….

Naruto was soon taking a hot shower to wash the smell of death off of him. They'd made a massive pyre for all the victims of that hellhole and he was trying not to dwell on it. He was wearing a yukata when he heard a knock at his door. Groaning to himself he cracked open the door and saw it was Sakura. She had a very concerned look on her face and was obviously worried for Naruto. He silently beckoned her in.

"….This last week was a living nightmare." finished Naruto as he described the cleanup in brief. "It sickens me that mankind is capable of such things…."

Sakura embraced him in a sisterly hug and said, "Naruto, you shouldn't have ever had that job. It shocks me that the Snow ninjas are so incapable." Then she smiled. "Speaking of Snow ninjas, Aisu Shimo proposed to me."

Naruto's eyes grew as large as dinner plates. "What happened Sakura-chan?"

"Well, he came to see me and…."

 _Flashback…._

 _Shimo was kneeling with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. "Sakura-hime, I just got back from the Snow Village and heard you'll be leaving soon. I just know you are the only one for me. Please do me the honor of becoming my loving wife." Sakura sat herself down and quickly to a swig of water. "I know this must be a shock to you fair maiden but believe me when I say true love always finds away."_

 _Sakura said warily, "Actually I just threw up a bit in my mouth at the thought of marrying a man twice my age."_

 _"_ _But age means nothing to two hearts destined to be one…." declared Shimo dramatically._

 _"_ _Um….how about no. Just no." said Sakura with a vein on her forehead bulging much like her Master Tsunade._

 _Shimo said in a heated voice. "Let me prove my love to you_ _ **tonight**_ _Sakura-hime. Your lips say no but your eyes say_ _ **yes**_ _."_

 _Cracking her knuckles Sakura said angrily, "My_ _ **fist**_ _says no as well you lecherous scumbag!"_

 _The last thing Shimo saw was Sakura's knuckles before they plowed into his face and then he knew no more._

 _Flashback end…._

….so my week hasn't been heavenly either." finished Sakura with a grin.

Naruto exploded into laughter. It took a few minutes for him to calm back down. "I'm so sorry Sakura-chan." said Naruto as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I wish I'd been a fly on the wall when you sent him to loose tooth city though."

Sakura chuckled, "Well, at least he finally got the message. Anyway, his dentist should be a very rich person once they are done."

"Well, it served the dirty old man right." announced Naruto. "He was something like your Old Man's age wasn't he?"

"Something like that." replied Sakura glad to see light back in her teammate's eyes. "I've got some good news for you though."

"Oh? What is it?" asked Naruto.

"The prisoner we rescued is awake." said Sakura happily. "Her mind seems to be intact and the last three days I've spent some time getting to know her. She's a real military type but she seems to have a kind side."

Naruto queried, "Why was she jailed then?"

"She doesn't say much but apparently she chose to spare an enemy rather than kill him." explained Sakura. "I don't know the details but apparently they chose to make an example of her and sentenced her to die in that place. That weird amulet that you destroyed was supposed to keep her alive for years no matter how thirsty or hungry she was. It was slowly draining her life force to power that ice jutsu."

"So is she an ice wielder?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I'm really not sure." said the rosette with a shrug. "She's from another continent and is a bit secretive but I'm sure it must difficult for her being in a place totally alien to her. She really wants to meet you and thank you for rescuing her though. Maybe after a good night's sleep you can go see her in the morning. She might enjoy your company over breakfast."

Naruto nodded. "I'll do that. What's her name anyway?"

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "It's foreign. Her name is Esdeath."

"Thank you for helping me Sakura-chan." said Naruto.

"That's what friends are for Naruto. I'll see you tomorrow." After they exchanged goodnights Sakura left Naruto to get a (mercifully) dreamless sleep.

….

Naruto got up bright and early the next morning and went down to the medical ward to meet Esdeath. She was up and was already exercising before breakfast to loosen up her still cramped muscles. Naruto quietly awaited the light blue haired young woman to get done. ' _She's really pretty in that leotard. I'll bet she'll look even better once her body is back in shape_.' he thought wistfully.

Esdeath realized she was being observed but really didn't mind. Many men (and some women) had looked at her as an object of lust before and she'd always been proud of her body so she figured they could look all they wanted. Soon enough she finished her morning routine and was irritated that it winded her. She looked over and saw Naruto observing her with a concerned look on his face. She said, "So you're Uzumaki Naruto; do you like what you see?"

"I was more concerned that you are favoring your right side." said Naruto in a genuine tone. "Do you want me to check those ribs?"

Esdeath blushed slightly. ' _He was worried for me?_ ' "Well, I guess you can but I don't know what you can do."

Naruto stood up and thought back to the massage techniques he'd learned under Jiraiya's tutelage. "Just lay down on your stomach and I'll try to loosen up those muscles. I know a couple of relaxation techniques."

Shrugging, Esdeath laid down and figured maybe it would help. She _was_ sore. After that she could thank him properly for helping her.

….

A half hour later Sakura walked in and saw Esdeath moaning appreciatively as Naruto used some _very_ effective massage hijutsu on her. If Tsunade hadn't taught Sakura the same techniques she wouldn't have known what the hell was going on. She wondered if Naruto even knew he was using a high level seduction technique on the smiling blue haired woman.

"Mmmm….more to the left Naruto…." murmured Esdeath in a deep sultry tone sounding like she was melting into goo.

"Alright Esdeath-san." answered Naruto totally oblivious to the fact Esdeath was in ecstasy from his ministrations.

Sakura blushed madly and then thought. ' _Doesn't Naruto_ _ **realize**_ _she's already two thirds of the way to an orgasm?! With as potent as his chakra is she's probably further along than that! Oh, hell. No, knowing Naruto doesn't have a clue._ ' Esdeath moaned erotically and Sakura decided to intervene before…. well, _something_ happened! "Good morning!" said Sakura in an exaggerated chipper voice.

Naruto stopped much to Esdeath's displeasure and said, "Good morning Sakura-chan. I was just helping Esdeath-san with a little hitch she had in her right side."

"I see." said Sakura with a twitch in her eyebrow. "I'm sure you must feel a bit better now Esdeath-san."

"Naruto has _magic_ hands." purred Esdeath with bedroom eyes.

Sakura nodded with a fake smile on her face. '…. _Naruto really doesn't know. I'll have to explain it in private later_.' "I'm sure. Naruto, why don't we let Esdeath-san get properly dressed and then the three of us can get some breakfast?"

"Good idea Sakura-chan." said Naruto agreeably. "Are your ribs feeling a little better Esdeath-san?"

"Perhaps we can continue later. I still feel a little catch in my right side." said Esdeath rather sultrily.

' _Liar!_ ' thought Sakura. ' _You just want Naruto all over you!_ ' "Well, be that as it may, let's step out so Esdeath can get dressed."

 _Breakfast was certainly going to be awkward_ ….

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, that establishes the basic storyline. Esdeath (for the time being) is stuck in the Elemental Nations. The big question would be who would affect who more? On one side we have a dedicated, bloodthirsty sadist that likes battle more than three good meals a day and on the other we have someone who seems to turn enemies into friends and wants peace but can fight against enemies on a deity level. The long term plot could really go several ways and I honestly haven't ever decided which way it should go yet. Anyway, see you next time (whenever that is). Blue out. 11/27/15


	2. Chapter 2

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

Well, I have to say I'm totally overwhelmed. I didn't feel this story was quite up to par but I've received a tremendously positive response; more so than any other story I've written for just the first chapter. Thanks to everyone reading! I haven't hammered out all of the details yet but the planned pairing is now Naruto x Esdeath x Hinata x One last girl. (No complaints please). Once it's finalized I'll update the summary and characters for the story so no one is confused. I had a lot of reviews with varying opinions and this seems to reflect the majority although the final decision will be mine of course. The last girl is still undecided so if you have an opinion you are welcome to put it in a review or PM me. Just for everyone's information the Akame ga Kiru stuff is based on the manga. I have not seen the anime yet but I want to. Though I wasn't planning on it at all I got a bit inspired to write a bit so here's chapter 2:

Last time:

" _Naruto has_ _magic_ _hands." purred Esdeath with bedroom eyes._

 _Sakura nodded with a fake smile on her face._ _'…. Naruto really doesn't know. I'll have to explain it in private later.'_ _"I'm sure. Naruto, why don't we let Esdeath-san get properly dressed and then the three of us can get some breakfast?"_

 _"_ _Good idea Sakura-chan." said Naruto agreeably. "Are your ribs feeling a little better Esdeath-san?"_

 _"_ _Perhaps we can continue later. I still feel a little catch in my right side." said Esdeath rather sultrily._

 _'_ _Liar!_ _' thought Sakura. '_ _You just want Naruto all over you!_ _' "Well, be that as it may, let's step out so Esdeath can get dressed."_

 _Breakfast was certainly going to be awkward…._

Chapter 2

 **Frost Country, the Capitol of Shimo**

Two of the most powerful and experienced members of Night Raid, Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame (age 16) and Leone the wielder of the Teigu Lionelle (age 23) were on a mission to stake out the Palace of the Daimyo of Frost Country. They needed to _deal_ with him and free a political prisoner that might become a future member of the Revolutionary Army or perhaps even a member of Night Raid itself….or that was the plan.

The two were sitting quietly in an outdoor tea house that had a nice view of the castle. The cat like blonde Leone said quietly to her younger partner. "Akame, the country may look tranquil but you know as well as I do this is _damn_ suspicious. The Daimyo of Frost Country has _forbidden_ anyone from even saying his name and people here fearful to even broach the subject. They may not have _public_ executions here but you _know_ torture pens and prisons are inside that castle. Isn't that evidence enough that he's our man?"

Akame shook her head making her long black hair sway back and forth slightly. "I'm not so sure an infiltration is a good idea at this point. We've got the basic layout but of the place and security seems awfully lax for some sort of dictator. This Daimyo may not be the correct target."

"Looks can be deceiving!" hissed the busty blonde. "You know when I was gathering information about the guys name in the bars those guys said they'd literally _lose their tiny balls_ if they even said his name. On top of that his older brother who was heir to the throne died of a _mysterious illness_. His name's been erased from the records too. I smell treachery a mile off here."

Akame's red eyes narrowed and she gave a withering stare to her partner. "You also said they were stone drunk and that you were semi-wasted yourself. We can't afford to make an error. We're not even on our home continent you know. It isn't like we have backup to break us out if we are captured."

Leone just scoffed….

 _Flashback…._

 _A month ago on the continent of The Empire; a meeting was going on between Night Raid's Commander Najenda and two of her best operatives…._

 _Najenda explained, "Your mission is to go to this Elemental Continent and retrieve former Imperial General Esdeath from one of the Prime Minister's business partners named Kazahana Dotō. Once you've freed her you will ask her to join us against the Empire." The silver haired, eye patch wearing woman said it as if she was talking about the weather. The looks on Leone and Akame's faces made her frown a bit and she exhaled some smoke from her cigarette. "Is there an issue?"_

 _Leone's golden eyes were big as saucers. The buxom blonde declared to her leader, "_ _ **Hell yes there's an issue!**_ _This is_ _ **ESDEATH**_ _we're talking about here! She was the one responsible for so many deaths like Tatsumi's! She's an evil sadist! That Ice Queen can rot in hell for all I care!"_

 _"_ _You know the Prime Minister's forces killed Tatsumi because Esdeath wouldn't do it." said Najenda with sadness reflecting in her remaining purple eye. "When I was with the Empire she was a fellow General. I know her abilities. I lost my eye and arm to her. You can't deny she would be a very powerful asset to the Revolutionary Army."_

 _"_ _How do we even know she's still alive?" asked Akame. Her red eyes seemed to flash angrily. The black haired assassin was also greatly affected by her friend Tatsumi's death._

 _Najenda nodded. "That's a good question. Prime Minister Honest ordered the_ _Amulet of Souls_ _to be placed on her. It takes five years to drain a person's life force away and can't be removed until the person dies or its key is used." Najenda placed an ornate golden key in front of them. "We just happen to have that key."_

 _Leone looked at the key warily. "Is there any_ _other_ _way to remove it?"_

 _Najenda blew another puff of smoke out. "Outside of death? Well, the_ _Amulet of Souls_ _could theoretically be overloaded if you had life force on par with….I don't know; some kind of deity."_

 _"_ _That's highly unlikely." said Akame. "Are there other copies of this key?"_

 _"_ _No; that key and the_ _Amulet of Souls_ _were created back when the Teigu themselves were created a thousand years ago." said the commander. "There's no way anyone could have copied_ _that_ _key."_

 _"_ _What if that Amulet of whatever leaves the Ice Bitch crippled? What's it been; two years already?" asked Leone._

 _Najenda sighed. "Look, I know you hate her but this is_ _Esdeath_ _we're talking about here. As long as she has the slightest spark of life in her she won't be broken._ _Trust me_ _."_

 _Akame picked up the key and asked in a steely voice, "What if she refuses to join the Revolutionary Army?"_

 _Najenda extinguished her cigarette in the ashtray. "Then you cut her down without mercy or hesitation." she said with a tone of finality._

 _Akame nodded and Leone smiled ferally. "Perhaps there's a chance for a happy ending after all." said the blonde with vengeance in her voice. "When do we leave?"_

 _"_ _You'll be leaving in three days from the East Coast and will land in a port in Fire Country on the Elemental Continent." said Najenda. "The Daimyo of the country you need to find is Kazahana Dotō. We know he murdered his own brother to take the throne so I guess he's notorious or something. The place is called Ice Country or something similar. Our intelligence is really sketchy since it's all second and third hand information so you may have to search for a while."_

 _"_ _Don't you worry; Akame and her Onee-chan Leone will take care of everything." said Leone cheerfully._

 _Najenda said, "On that note Akame is in charge so no 'accidents' happen." Leone face faulted. "Akame, make sure Leone doesn't get into too much trouble but remember she is excellent at gathering intelligence. More importantly remember that Esdeath would be a great help to our cause."_

 _Akame nodded and dragged the still prone and pouting Leone out of the room…._

 _Flashback end…._

 **Frost Country, Daimyo's Palace**

Team Kurenai comprised of Hyūga Hinata, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru had just escorted the diminutive Daimyo of Frost Country back from the Land of Fire. The man had a complex about his short stature but given he stood at four foot one inch the ninjas really didn't hold it against him. Even Hinata towered over the man. He also insisted they only address him by his title and not his name. Actually they didn't even know the man's real name. The three chunins took it in stride though and simply addressed him as 'Daimyo-sama.'

The three ninjas and one ninken chased off two groups of bandits from the Daimyo's caravan however so the short man was grateful and invited the three of them to dine with him and his wife this evening before they departed for Fire Country again in the morning. Initially Kiba was going to refuse because the Daimyo's staff wouldn't allow Akamaru into the more luxurious dining areas of the castle to eat with them but Hinata managed to pacify Kiba enough for him to behave. Team Kurenai had completed their mission successfully and the last thing they needed was to make a social faux pas with a foreign Daimyo. It just wasn't a good business practice.

The three ninjas and ninken were sitting together over tea in a luxurious guest lounge that had a bedroom for each of them attached. Hinata was sipping her tea politely and said, "I don't know Shino-kun. My instincts are telling me something is amiss also. I don't think Kiba-kun an Akamaru are being paranoid."

"See? Hinata-chan agrees with us Shino!" stated Kiba proudly.

Shino nodded, "We would be better off alert and vigilant if trouble does occur. It wouldn't do to be caught off guard." A kikaichū beetle alighted on Shino's fingertip as he held it up for the insect to land. "My allies tell me there is no hostile intent within this palace but there still may be some from outside. We will remain on guard then."

' _I wonder how Naruto-kun is doing_ ….' thought Hinata. ' _He left on his first mission with his new arm just before we did just over a week ago. I hope he is alright_.'

 **Snow Country, Kazahana Castle**

Naruto was sitting and talking to Esdeath over a healthy lunch. "So you're the last of the Partas Clan and grew up as a hunter in a frozen frontier area. Sounds like you had a rough time in your childhood." said Naruto.

"Have no doubt it made me strong." said Esdeath in an iron tone. "The Black Cross I wear is the proud symbol of the Partas Clan. When I was a child my Father taught me everything to become a fearsome hunter and how to hunt the most formidable of danger beasts. When I found my clan was wiped out I swore to become the strongest there was and to never be defeated. He taught me that the strong live and the weak die and I've branded that on my heart and soul."

"Do you have someone or something precious to protect?" asked Naruto kindly.

Esdeath's face became melancholy as she thought of Tatsumi. "I….I did. But not anymore. Why do you ask?"

"I was taught that to become _truly_ strong you have to have something to protect." said Naruto. "Everything I've ever done since I became a ninja was to protect my precious people. You need to find new precious ones and I promise you you'll be stronger than ever before." the blonde ninja said with conviction.

Esdeath felt herself beginning to blush. ' _He says it with such passion. I wonder how strong he truly is. He reminds me of….of Tatsumi with the fire he has in his eyes. I need to get to know him better._ ' "So you have a Teigu of your own?" she asked curiously. "I saw how you glowed with flame when you found me and destroyed the _Amulet of Souls_. Your Teigu must be truly impressive to do that."

Naruto stared at her dumbly and got a vacant smile, "Ummm….what's a Teigu? I've never heard of such a thing."

She blushed again at his clueless look. Esdeath found it adorable. "Maybe they call them something other than Teigu here. It's an item of power that allows you to do things others can't. Mine is called the _Demon's Extract_ and it gives me absolute control over ice. Yours must allow you to control fire in a way. So many Teigus were lost so long ago that it makes sense that they could have been brought to this continent."

The blonde ninja shrugged and said, "You just saw me manipulating my chakra Esdeath-san. All ninjas can do that to some extent."

"What's chakra?" asked Esdeath.

"Chakra is the combination of your spiritual and physical energies that we ninjas use to do techniques or jutsus." said Naruto. "Sakura-chan and I just assumed you were using some kind of ice jutsu. I can sense you have a ton of chakra."

 _Flashback…._

 _Esdeath was sitting in a classroom during her officer's training in the Empire. The old history professor bored her to death unless he was talking tactics or battles but today he was describing a tribe of people called Ninjas that the Teigu were designed to combat. She found it quite fascinating. It also seemed to be a pet subject of the professor. "….While it's a little discussed and esoteric subject; these people known as the Ninjas could actually harness their life force energies directly for various abilities such as attacking with fire, water, lightning or other elements. Some even had the power to heal their wounds or cast illusions to take enemies by surprise."_

 _"_ _They were few in number but the Empire suffered incredible losses at their hands before the Ninjas were finally wiped out. The original intent of the first Emperor with the Teigu was to create weapons that would forever protect the Empire but the fact is he wanted his greatest soldiers to be able to stand on even grounds with those such as the Ninjas. In the end it was considered successful but the true abilities of the ninjas were never fully duplicated and little is left of the history of our battles with them other than the massive losses to our side…."_

 _Flashback end….._

Esdeath's eyes widened with realization. ' _Ninjas can do things_ _ **naturally**_ _with their bodies that it would take a Teigu to do for my people. The possibilities are_ _ **endless**_ _!_ '

"….Esdeath-san?" asked Naruto. The light blue haired woman's eyes suddenly snapped back into awareness as Naruto spoke. "Are you all right? You completely spaced out on me there. Are you feeling okay?"

"Y-yes I'm fine Naruto-san." she answered. "Please just call me Esdeath. You don't have to be formal with me."

Naruto gave her a big smile that made her heart flutter. "Then please just call me Naruto."

About that time Sakura arrived and joined the two of them for lunch at their table. "Koyuki-sama says they found some records of that prison being built by an outside source while Kazahana Dotō ruled this country. It was supposed to be inescapable. There's also evidence that the airship technology came from that same source around the same time. She said a messenger from the Snow Ninja Village has more information for us. Maybe we can confirm the technology came from the Empire that Esdeath-san came from.

The three were discussing things like Esdeath's recovery and Esdeath explained Teigu to Sakura as well. "So in a nutshell your people have chakra but can't truly access it without one of these Teigu items. How interesting." said Sakura.

About that time the three of them sensed a subtle killing intent as a Snow Village ninja arrived. He asked Naruto, "Are you Uzumaki Naruto-sama?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes that's me but you don't have to call me –sama or anything. Naruto is fine."

"Ah, I'm Hisame, a jonin from the Snow Village." said the man. "I have the information for you that Koyuki-sama requested about that awful prison you found. Here it is." he said holding out a scroll. Hisame then shot his right hand forward faster than the eye could follow. Esdeath's blue eyes widened as a hidden blade from the man's wrist emerged and headed right towards Naruto's face. Had Esdeath been in top form she would have been able to intercept it easily but she was too slow in her weakened state. Sakura didn't seem to react and Esdeath was about to call out to Naruto when the blade suddenly stopped about an inch from Naruto's eye….

Naruto had Hisame's wrist in an iron grip with his right hand and the Snow ninja cried out as his wrist was crushed and the hidden blade clattered to the table. Naruto gradually bent the whimpering nin's broken wrist backwards and brought the agonized Snow ninja down to his knees through sheer physical strength. Naruto hadn't even moved from his position in his chair as he watched Sakura quietly pick up the fallen blade by its handle and began to examine it. He then turned back to Hisame and squeezed the man's wrist harder making the Snow ninja writhe in pain. "Did you _seriously_ think that would work Hisame-san?" asked Naruto coldly. The man whimpered again. "Tell me who sent you." commanded Naruto.

Esdeath was both relieved Naruto was unharmed and thrilled at Naruto's power. She suddenly realized that Sakura hadn't reacted because she didn't _need_ to. The light blue haired woman's eyes sparkled with vengeance. Naruto was _General_ Class in power! She was eager to see how Naruto dealt with this weakling that was foolish enough to attack him. Esdeath could feel Naruto's refined killing intent wash over her and she shivered excitedly. She knew the tiny fraction she was feeling was _nothing_ compared to what slammed into Hisame. The Snow ninja looked as if he'd been hit with a physical blow from the wall of Naruto's overwhelming killing intent.

Hisame said, "I-I did it for Dotō-sama! He sent me. I worked alone."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "You're lying and it's obvious. I killed Dotō four years ago when I was just a kid. I know there were several former Snow ninjas that worked for him that later swore allegiance to Koyuki-sama. Tell me who all is involved or it will get _painful_ Hisame."

Hisame's eyes widened in fear and he said "N-n-never!"

Naruto channeled lightning chakra though his left hand causing electricity to arc between his fingers. The smell of ozone permeated the air as Hisame shook uncontrollably in terror. Naruto said. "If you want to do it the hard way then we will Hisame-san…." Hisame screamed and his body was wracked with spasms as Naruto shocked a nerve cluster in the man's injured arm. It took nearly forty five minutes but Hisame spilled every last name he knew and everything they'd done. Esdeath relished in seeing the Snow ninja so broken and Koyuki-sama's guards simply kept a respectful distance. Sakura was quietly taking down notes as Hisame confessed to everything.

Hisame croaked out weakly, "I swear to the gods that's all I know….Please; please no more." The man had resisted until some of his hair was smoking from the electric shocks. While Esdeath was enjoying this show immensely it was obvious by their stony expressions that Naruto and Sakura took no pleasure in this interrogation at all. Seeing the traitorous ninja was done Sakura stood up and said from behind Hisame, "You are a threat to Koyuki-sama and that we cannot allow." She then effortlessly snapped his neck ending the would be assassin's life in an instant.

Esdeath was disappointed they didn't torture the man some more and asked, "He had plenty of life left in him; why did you stop torturing him?"

Naruto turned to Esdeath and said in a matter of fact tone. "There was no point wasting time. It wasn't practical. He already told us everything he knew. We learned the hard way during the war not to waste a second." Sakura simply nodded in agreement.

The light blue haired woman's eyes sparked in understanding. ' _So they are completely pragmatic about it and take few prisoners. While it isn't as enjoyable it is logical. There's no doubt about that. If a person has no use they are just quickly eliminated_.' Esdeath found herself admiring the no-nonsense attitude of the ninjas. It might not be as fun but there was no arguing with the results.

Sakura said to Koyuki-sama's guards. "We must see Koyuki-sama immediately. There are traitors within her ranks."

….

 **Frost Country, Daimyo's Palace**

It was early evening and Team Kurenai was having an extremely sumptuous meal with the Daimyo and his very beautiful and _very_ tall wife. Her name was Miria and she was close to six feet tall (she was also much younger than him). "So we were actually at the final battle of the Fourth Shinobi War." explained Shino. "However we were caught in the genjustu everyone else was and Team 7 was actually responsible for defeating Kaguya. We never actually saw her."

"So you've actually met Uzumaki Naruto-sama who saved the world?" asked Miria in an excited tone.

Kiba laughed. "Met him? Miria-sama, all three of us were in the same Academy class with him. We practically grew up together."

"Yes, we've known Naruto-kun since we were children." said Hinata. "I actually met him before I was in the Academy and he saved me from some bullies. He was very brave even when he was a little boy." she added with a smile and a light pink dusting of her cheeks.

Kiba would ordinarily have teased his female teammate about her longstanding crush on Naruto but even he knew that wouldn't be too proper in front of a Daimyo and his wife.

Generally Team Kurenai had a nice time and kept Miria-sama entertained so the Daimyo seemed pleased.

 _Later that night_ ….

The moon was high in the dark sky as two figures stealthily entered the Frost Country Palace through an upper floor window. Akame's red eyes reflected slightly in the darkness as she looked from side to side. Leone landed quietly behind her with her Teigu activated giving her a more cat like appearance with claws, cat ears and a tail. The pair quietly avoided the guards and headed towards the throne room where they found the Daimyo, his wife Miria….and the members of Team Kurenai….

"I was wondering when you two would arrive." said Shino in his usual monotone.

Akame narrowed her eyes and drew Murasame but Leone was genuinely taken off guard. She did notice the forehead protectors that Hinata, Shino and Kiba had though. She also noticed the massive form of Akamaru near his partner. Covering her initial shock Leone said, "You're Konoha ninjas. We have no business with you. We only want to…. _talk_ with the Daimyo.

Shino replied, "I'm afraid you motives seem less than benign towards our client. If you just came to talk you wouldn't sneak in after dark. Identify yourselves."

Hinata activated her byakugan. "The blonde one has some sort of belt that conducts chakra and the black haired one's katana is a chakra blade. Be careful."

' _What the hell?!_ ' thought Leone. ' _She has a Teigu that lets her see other Teigu?_ ' Leone quickly decided Hinata had to go first. Using her enhanced speed and reflexes Leone shot towards the Hyūga heiress at blinding speed only to be shoulder tackled by Kiba which sent them both tumbling with Akamaru trailing after. Akame silently attacked Shino who barely blocked the Murasame with crossed kunai. Kicking Shino back to stun him Akame switched to her real target, Hinata. The black haired assassin had also decided that Hinata was the primary threat because she thought the indigo haired girl also possessed a Teigu.

Akame slashed at Hinata and found the young Hyūga woman was quite fast and agile. Using the Murasame she was forcing Hinata back although Akame hadn't landed a hit either with her blade or taijutsu. Akame's instincts kicked in as Hinata yelled, "Kaiten!" and spun. An expanding dome of chakra blew Akame back. Had Akame's reflexes not been so fast she would have been seriously hurt but the young assassin was still sent flying. Akame landed across the room with cat like grace as Leone took a clawed swipe at Hinata having temporarily escaped Kiba and Akamaru's attacks.

Hinata ducked under the brutal swipe from Leone and landed two solid juken hits each to the blonde woman's right forearm and shoulder. Leone went crashing to the ground having unexpectedly lost all use of her right arm. She growled angrily, "What did you do to me you little bitch?" She tried to get up but Kiba had already pounced on her back and had a kunai at her throat.

The dog ninja said "Nobody moves!" Akame and Shino backed away from each other with both still in a defensive stance and Kiba said to Leone, "Why are you after the Daimyo?!"

Leone had completely lost her cool and blurted out, "He's Kazahana Dotō! He killed his own brother and took over. He's holding a political prisoner we want released! He's so worried about people finding out what he has done that he even forbade people from speaking his very _name!_ ""

If Akame hadn't been so intent on watching Shino in case he attacked she would have face faulted on the spot. ' _Leone just blew everything wide open!_ '

Hinata said, "Daimyo-sama isn't Kazahana Dotō, he-"

Miria blurted "My sweetie pie is named Kintama Chīsana and he's embarrassed about his name! He didn't kill his brother either!"

When reality hit her Leone suddenly said, "The Daimyo's name is Kintama Chīsana -which means _Tiny Balls_ _?!_ " Leone exploded into laughter. "Bwahahahaha! Oh. My. God! No wonder you kept you name a secret! Bwahahahaha!"

Akame was ready to take her own life in embarrassment as Leone continued to howl in laughter and soon Kiba and Akamaru joined in with her by laughing raucously.

Shino said in a monotone to Akame, "Do you mean to tell me you broke into the wrong _palace_ after the wrong _Daimyo_ in the wrong _country?_ "

Akame sweat dropped. "That appears to be the case."

The Daimyo was red in the face from embarrassment over his name being mentioned for obvious reasons. "I didn't kill my older brother Kintama Kyodai ( _Gigantic Balls_ ) either. He died of a venereal disease like the big dumb oaf he was. My Father hated that I was so short so he named me _Tiny!_ It's so _humiliating!_ "

Seeing Leone and Kiba weren't even slowing down with their hysterics; (They both had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard by now) Hinata gave both of them a chop to the neck to knock them unconscious. Seeing the two were silenced (and that Akamaru had wisely shut up after seeing this) Hinata bowed deeply to the Daimyo and said, "Ahem! Please forgive my teammate's impropriety Daimyo-sama." she then turned to Akame and said, "Kazahana Dotō _died_ four years ago in _Snow Country_. The throne was rightfully returned to his niece Kazahana Koyuki-sama who is a just and kind ruler. If she hasn't already released this political prisoner you are attempting to retrieve I have little doubt you could negotiate this person's freedom. There would certainly be no need for violence in Snow Country.

Akame just sheathed the Murasame and said. "Forgive me Daimyo-sama; I could truly die of embarrassment right now…."

 **Snow Country, Kazahana Castle**

Esdeath was back in the medical ward getting ready for bed. She'd been disappointed that she couldn't see Naruto and Sakura go to the Snow Village and slaughter the traitors and their families. Nevertheless Esdeath was in no position to argue. She was in no physical condition to fight though she was doing much better. Odds are she would have been a hindrance in a military operation in this situation though she was loathe to admit it. She hoped that Naruto would return later this evening to tell her about the bloodshed as he gave her one of those _wonderful_ massages. Yes, she was _very_ eager to feel Naruto's _magical_ hands again….

It was hours later that Naruto and Sakura got back from the Snow Village with the contingent of Royal guards with them. There were seventeen traitors and they'd only taken three alive. Apparently the former followers of Kazahana Dotō were zealots and wanted Naruto, Sakura and the rest of the former Team 7 dead at all costs to avenge him. It was arguable that they were actually loyal to Koyuki-sama as they'd sworn to serve the Kazahana family but apparently vengeance took precedence. Despite direct orders from Koyuki-sama to surrender they fought to the bitter end. It had been quite bloody but luckily there were no other casualties in the Snow Village. Naruto and Sakura's power was simply too much for the traitors to handle.

The two tired Konoha ninjas returned after dark with the Royal Guards and the three badly mangled prisoners in tow. One of the prisoners might not survive his injuries. "This mission has turned into a senseless mess Sakura-chan." said Naruto tiredly. The two war veterans had certainly seen worse but they couldn't help but feel these traitorous Snow ninja's lives were thrown away pointlessly.

Sakura nodded. "I know Naruto; they could have surrendered peacefully and probably would have received a minor punishment once they swore off vengeance against us. Instead they gave their lives for a worthless cause and a long dead tyrant. It's just sad. Those three we captured will probably never fully recover from their injuries either assuming they all live. They'll never be able to be ninjas again even if they get out of jail."

"After everything we sacrificed for peace it still never ends." said Naruto sadly.

The two ninjas retired for the night and planned to report to the Daimyo in the morning. Aside of the fact they were exhausted Koyuki-sama had already gone to bed for the night so there was no need to wake her up.

….

 **Frost Country, Daimyo's Palace**

Leone woke up in the morning with a sore neck, right shoulder and forearm from where Hinata had hit her. She was laying on a cot and saw Akame was sitting beside her watching over her. Blinking her gold eyes a few times Leone yawned and said, "Where are we Akame?"

Akame simply said, "We are very fortunate and we are in a barracks under guard. Daimyo-sama has ordered us to be removed from Frost Country and never to return. We are going to Fire Country with those three ninjas we fought escorting us. They currently have our Teigu in their possession and will return them once we are outside Frost Country. If it wasn't for those ninjas offering to help escort us out I fear you would have been put to death for embarrassing the Daimyo so much."

Leone retorted, "What about that ninja that was laughing with me? He should be in trouble too."

"He is." said the red eyed girl. "The reason the ninjas offered to escort us out of the country for free was because of the one named Kiba that was laughing hysterically with you. He's been banned from the country too. I think it's fair to say that the Daimyo is angrier at you and the ninja Kiba than me and I was trying to assassinate him in error."

"Wow! _Tiny_ sure is touchy." said Leone.

"Don't mention that name again or I will hit you." hissed Akame.

….

 _The ninja's quarters_ ….

Hinata was explaining the whole situation to the now awake Kiba. "I believe it is safe to say you made a very bad impression on Daimyo-sama, Kiba-kun." said Hinata gently.

Shino wasn't so kind. "What Hinata means to say is you're a complete idiot and you should thank her for knocking you out Kiba-baka. Kurenai-sensei would say the same."

Kiba groaned and said, "So we're escorting those two lost assassins out of Frost Country and we have their chakra gear?"

"Yes." said Hinata. "They seem to have underdeveloped chakra coils like our friend Lee-kun and they use these chakra items to access their chakra. It's a different but innovative way to do it. Few would have the fortitude and discipline to learn Lee-kun's Eight Gates so it's an interesting alternative."

Shino explained, "They are rather secretive but Akame the sword wielder informed us they are from another continent and obviously they are behind the times on information given the fact Kazahana Dotō has been dead for four years. They were told to look for 'Ice Country' and because Snow Country is often referred to as Spring Country now; Frost Country was a logical place to search."

"So the dark haired girl is Akame?" asked Kiba. "What about the blonde?"

"Her name is Leone." answered Hinata. "They both are impressive fighters, especially Akame. She told us her sword exudes an incurable poison so we shouldn't touch the blade in any way."

"What about the belt you saw?" asked Kiba.

"It gives Leone cat like features." answered Shino. "It seems to have much the same effect as the Inuzuka Clan's All Fours jutsu that you are so fond of."

Kiba shrugged. "Huh; who'd have ever thought of something like that jutsu being built into a belt. That's pretty cool."

"Indeed." replied Shino.

….

 **Snow Country, Kazahana Castle**

Esdeath's eyes nearly rolled back in her head as her orgasm hit her like a speeding train. " _Oh gods yesss!_ Naruto-kun…." she moaned. Naruto's hijutsu massage techniques had taken her far further than she ever thought possible as he gave her a back rub because she claimed _her back was stiff_ after her morning exercise. Now she was breathing heavily and silently praising whatever deity that had blessed Naruto with those _wonderful,_ **_wonderful_** hands….

"Are you alright Esdeath? You kind of cried out there." said Naruto in a worried tone.

' _He has_ _ **no**_ _idea what he_ _ **does**_ _to me_ ….' thought Esdeath in a state of euphoria. The light blue haired woman looked over her shoulder with lustful eyes and purred in the afterglow, "I'm _just fine_ Naruto-kun…." Her thoughts were racing of _other_ things the two of them could do as she admired his body….That was when she suddenly realized her panties were soaked clean though to the sheets. Her eyes widened a bit as she blushed hotly and she said embarrassed, "Ummm….I think I need to get dressed now Naruto-kun. Could you pull the curtain closed so I can get dressed?"

Relieved Esdeath was alright Naruto nodded and stepped out before he closed the curtain behind him….He'd spent the early morning talking with Sakura and Koyuki-sama about the mess in the Snow Village. It looked like they were going to be in Snow Country a little while longer and Sakura had gone to the aviary to send a report out to Tsunade while Naruto checked up on Esdeath. ' _Well, at least Esdeath seems to be in a good mood now_.' thought Naruto idly to himself. ' _She seemed a bit grumpy that I wasn't telling her about the battle but maybe it was just her sore back….Since when has she called me Naruto-kun now that I think about it…?_ ' Poor, poor oblivious idiot….

Sakura never had gotten a chance to have that _talk_ with him….

 **Frost Country, Daimyo's Palace**

Hinata, Shino and Akamaru bid farewell to the Daimyo and his wife Miria-sama and escorted Akame, Leone and…. _Kiba_ out of the Frost Country Capitol of Shimo and headed in the direction of Fire Country. By midday they were in Hot Springs Country and the ninjas returned the Teigu to Akame and Leone as promised. In general Akame had great respect for the ninjas (especially Hinata who faced her with the Murasame unarmed) and considered them trustworthy. Leone thought Shino and Hinata needed to loosen up a bit and seemed to enjoy arguing with Kiba. Shino explained that once they got back to Konoha that perhaps they could contact Snow Country through diplomatic channels instead of endangering Koyuki-sama's life….Akame he semi trusted but Leone was too much of a wildcard….she kind of reminded him of a female Naruto in a way.

It would be about a week's trip back to Konoha at a decent speed and Shino had already sent a report ahead to Tsunade-sama about the two Teigu users. He wondered what the Hokage's reaction would be to Team Kurenai bring home a couple of strays….hopefully it wouldn't be too negative.

POSTSCRIPT:

And done! This chapter took a bit of time to put together but frankly I hadn't plotted it out. I have no planned update schedule for this story and updates have been slow for all of my stories due to real life issues so we'll see what happens. Next chapter hopefully things will get squared away in Snow Country but that's provisional for now. Thanks everyone again for reading. Blue out. 12/2/15


	3. Chapter 3

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks everyone for their follows, favorites and reviews! Again I'm amazed by the popularity of this story. My special thanks goes out to **hakon2feb** for his input on this story. After much consideration I've decided the final pairing is going to be Naruto x Esdeath x Hinata for now (so Hinata haters don't need to read any further). I am adding Akame as the third girl but that will be a little while off. I can't think of any really logical reason why she would want to be involved as more than a friend at this point. As for those who wonder why Esdeath and Hinata; I kind of see Esdeath as a lot like an extreme version of Road to Ninja Hinata in her own way strange way. The two will balance each other out. Anyway, this is the decision I finalized on so no complaints please.

Aside of that there are several plot holes I need to fill that have been pointed out to me. They are really a matter of me being rushed along so I'm going to be rectifying them in due course. That all being said; here's chapter 3:

Last time:

 ** _Frost Country, Daimyo's Palace_**

 _Hinata, Shino and Akamaru bid farewell to the Daimyo and his wife Miria-sama and escorted Akame, Leone and…._ _Kiba_ _out of the Frost Country Capitol of Shimo and headed in the direction of Fire Country. By midday they were in Hot Springs Country and the ninjas returned the Teigu to Akame and Leone as promised. In general Akame had great respect for the ninjas (especially Hinata who faced her with the Murasame unarmed) and considered them trustworthy. Leone thought Shino and Hinata needed to loosen up a bit and seemed to enjoy arguing with Kiba. Shino explained that once they got back to Konoha that perhaps they could contact Snow Country through diplomatic channels instead of endangering Koyuki-sama's life….Akame he semi trusted but Leone was too much of a wildcard….she kind of reminded him of a female Naruto in a way._

 _It would be about a week's trip back to Konoha at a decent speed and Shino had already sent a report ahead to Tsunade-sama about the two Teigu users. He wondered what the Hokage's reaction would be to Team Kurenai bring home a couple of strays….hopefully it wouldn't be too negative._

Chapter 3

 **Snow Country, Kazahana Castle**

Koyuki was discussing things with Sakura over lunch in her private chambers. "It surprises me that you didn't ask Naruto to lunch with us as well Koyuki-sama." said Sakura pleasantly.

"Well, it's a matter I felt was best kept between us women you know." explained Koyuki.

Sakura looked a bit surprised. "Oh, I assumed you wanted to discuss the construction of that prison and the airship technology." said the rosette. ' _I sure hope this isn't about me punching out that idiot Snow Village jonin Aisu Shimo. It wasn't the most (cough)…._ _ **diplomatic**_ _move I've made in my ninja career_ ….' she thought nervously.

The Daimyo shook her head, "No, no; this has nothing to do with that prison. I have my people searching for records on that but a lot of the records in Dotō's old compound in the Snow Village were destroyed when you and your team _redecorated_ the place during your rescue of me four years ago. It will probably be months before we can reconstruct if Dotō was dealing with this Empire from another continent. Once we get some hard facts I fully intend to inform Konoha as it would be of importance to all of the Elemental Nations really. The last thing we need is a hostile foreign power threatening us from across the ocean. We just got done with our own war here after all."

"I see. What would you like to discuss then?" asked Sakura slightly relieved.

Koyuki leaned forward and said, "It's about a certain type of mission that I believe only Konoha could achieve for me. Given its clandestine nature I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

Sakura raised a delicate eyebrow. "Well, normally the Hokage alone discuses missions if the nature is highly clandestine. I'm really in no position to negotiate such things. I'm only chunin rank after all."

Nodding her head slightly, Koyuki asked, "You Konoha ninjas are trained in long term infiltration missions, yes?"

The rosette was quickly thinking ' ** _Classified: for Hokage's eyes only!_** ' in her head as she said, "We have some specialists experienced in that area but the nature of the infiltration is a huge factor as to whether we would accept such a mission."

"Well, the nature of the mission would be to seduce a foreign Daimyo and stay in that Daimyo's court for an extended period of time." said Koyuki.

' _This is definitely for the Hokage's ears only!_ ' thought Sakura panicking. "Well, I'm in **_no_** position to discuss such a high profile mission. The political ramifications would be a huge factor in-"

"The target would be me." said Koyuki.

Sakura's brain came to a screeching halt. " ** _W-w-what?_** "

Koyuki smiled and said, "I wish for Uzumaki Naruto-kun to infiltrate Snow Country, seduce me and give me two or more heirs, preferably a boy and a girl. It would be a long term mission of course."

Sakura's jaw hit the table and her eyes bulged. "Y-you want Naruto to….to…."

"I've been trying to get Naruto-kun's attention but I think he's acting totally oblivious because he's grown into such a fine and professional ninja." Koyuki blushed and giggled, "What a man he's become…." she said dreamily.

' ** _NO_** _, he really_ _ **is**_ _a totally oblivious blockhead!_ ' screamed Inner Sakura in her mind. "I-I don't know what to say Daimyo-sama…." ' _I've got to change subjects fast!_ '

Koyuki was still blushing slightly and she said, "Well I'm sure he'd be _more_ than capable of doing the job. I'm sure you've slept with him on several occasions. How good is he? How much do you think it would cost? Not that money is really an issue."

Sakura's face was flaming hot with embarrassment, " _I'm his_ _ **teammate**_ _, not his_ _ **lover**_ _or his_ _ **flesh-peddler!**_ _Oh. My._ _ **Fucking**_ _. Gawd!"_ she screeched as she slapped her hands onto her glowing red cheeks. The normally straight laced and proper rosette's composure had flown completely out the window and was probably halfway back to Fire Country by now. "D-d-daimyo-sama, I _cannot_ discuss this subject any further!" said the hyperventilating girl.

At first she was shocked at Sakura's outburst but then Koyuki burst into an amused fit of laughter. "Sakura-chan I didn't mean to embarrass you so much." she said between giggles. "Are you sure you haven't been sleeping with him? I mean such a hunk of man-"

"He's like a _brother_ to me!" declared the still embarrassed Sakura. "We aren't that way _at all_."

Koyuki smiled widely. "Well, sorry about that. Since he calls you Sakura-chan I misunderstood the situation." Seeing the younger woman was calming down Koyuki said, "I'll just ask the Hokage in a letter. Let's talk about something else."

' _Oh thank the gods_.' thought Sakura in relief. She was still perspiring heavily but now she could cool down.

"Since you aren't with Naruto-kun I presume you're interested in you _other_ teammate Uchiha Sasuke?" Koyuki asked innocently.

Sakura felt her face explode into another blush and felt like fainting. '…. _I'm in hell_ ….' thought the rosette forlornly….

 **Hot Springs Country, the Capitol City of Yu**

In the afternoon Hinata, Shino and Kiba bowed respectfully as they presented their papers to enter the Capitol of Hot Springs Country. The guards there inspected the papers and then welcomed the group into Yu. Since it was a time of peace not seen in literal centuries there was a great feeling of camaraderie between Hot Springs Country and their largest neighbor, Fire Country. Team Kurenai was welcomed with great respect as veterans of the Fourth Shinobi War….That's when a deep roaring emerged and set everyone on edge. Leone laughed. "Sounds like your tummy is rumbling again Akame. You must be starving. What's it been, three hours since breakfast?"

Everyone sweat dropped as they realized the deep growling was indeed coming from the petite black haired girl's stomach. Kiba remembered Naruto and Choji's appetites and figured they should feed the poor assassin. "So what kind of food do you like Akame-san?" asked the dog loving ninja over the growling noise.

Akame less than daintily said, " ** _Meat. Lots of meat_**."

"Guard-san. is there any place you might recommend?" Hinata asked one of the guards in a friendly tone of voice.

The guard looked over at the red eyed girl with a slight bit of fear in his eyes before he turned back to Hinata and said, "Kunoichi-san, there's a large barbeque restaurant one block down on the left. Just go straight ahead and you can't miss it."

"Thank you guard-san." said Shino. His insect swarms were getting very nervous at the ominous rumbling of Akame's stomach. "Let us go to the barbeque place in question posthaste then."

Soon they were all seated at _Swingin' Udders Barbeque Restaurant_ and Akame was well on her way to massacring an entire second beef brisket while the others were eating at a more sedate ( _read: human_ ) pace.

' _It seems that Akame-san likes meat like Naruto-kun likes ramen_.' thought Hinata.

Shino thought to himself, ' _Perhaps she's an Akimichi cousin. She might be Choji's dream girl_.'

Kiba was frightened. ' _We'd best keep this one fed or Akamaru and I might end up on the menu!_ ' Akamaru was having similar thoughts as he hid shivering behind Kiba while he ate from a dish in the floor.

Leone was greatly amused at Kiba's obvious fear but wondered about the other two. ' _I wonder if they know somebody else that eats like Akame does when she's this ravenous. It's kind of hard to believe though. Most people just gape in awe at the sheer amount of food Akame can put away_.'

After eating her fill Leone naturally tried to dine and dash but was quickly dragged back to the table by the others to pay her part of the bill. (She hadn't eaten much but she had _plenty_ of booze). Leone was soon pleading with Akame. "Come on Akame-chan! Help your Onee-chan out. You know getting a good buzz is expensive!"

To which Akame simply said, " **No**." without the slightest bit of pity or remorse.

Crying anime tears Leone coughed up her part of the bill while murmuring that " _Akame-chan doesn't love me any more_ …." Leone didn't get much sympathy from the members of Team Kurenai either….

 **Snow Country, Capitol City**

Esdeath was sitting with Naruto at a restaurant having an early dinner in the Capitol City of Snow Country. She was wearing her slightly loose General's uniform that would fit properly again once she got her muscle tone back. It was her first time outside of the castle and Sakura felt it would be good exercise for Esdeath to get out and move around a bit. Her body simply wasn't ready for the strenuous workouts necessary to bring her back up to combat strength. Though the former Imperial General hated to admit it she knew Sakura was right and general exercise of just getting used to moving around again was best. Even her rapier felt heavy to her right now. Two years of sitting in a cell had done a number on Esdeath's body and Sakura said it was a miracle that the former General was recovering as quickly as she was.

As they sat eating quietly the light blue haired young woman couldn't help but marvel a bit at the peaceful atmosphere surrounding her and Naruto in the city. Things were clean and well kept and the people seemed to be genuinely happy as they went about their business. It was like peering into another world for Esdeath. She was used to the filth, corruption and poverty of the Empire. The idea that people could travel around freely and not feel threatened amazed her. In the rotted core of the Empire you carried weapons regardless of who you were and there were always Imperial soldiers prowling around. The soldiers were just as likely as the criminals to be causing trouble and harming innocent people though.

' _How did I not see this when I served the Emperor?_ ' The image of that bloated cesspool of a man, Prime Minister Honest came to her mind and she subconsciously clinched her fist in anger. ' _There will be a reckoning for you old bastard_.' she thought darkly. The image of him burning in the center of the decaying Empire's rotting core drifted through her mind. _'I_ _ **will**_ _see it happen. It may take years but the Empire will_ _ **burn**_ _by my hands_.' She looked up and saw Naruto's blue eyes looking at her with concern.

"Is something wrong Esdeath-chan?" he asked in a worried tone. "You look upset. Is it the food?"

Esdeath felt her body relax as she looked at Naruto. It had taken all morning but she convinced him to call her _-chan_ which made her very happy. She smiled softly. "It's nothing Naruto-kun. I was just thinking about the past and….unpleasant things came to mind. Anyway, the food is very good." She looked around and said, "This country….It's very welcoming isn't it? It seems many people here consider you a hero of some sort. What exactly happened here?"

Naruto scratched his neck and said, "This was a terrible place to live when Kazahana Dotō ruled this country. He was a cruel man that ruled everything with an iron fist." Esdeath nodded in interest. "Anyway, I was part of the Team that deposed him and restored the Daimyo's position to Kazahana Koyuki-sama who is the proper ruler of this country. Since she took over Snow Country has flourished and the people here are happy again."

"So you were part of a rebel group?" asked Esdeath curiously.

Naruto smiled widely and it made her blush slightly. "Actually, there were just four of us and we were hired to act as bodyguards for a _very_ spoiled and bratty actress. I was only thirteen at the time." he chuckled. "It turned out that _simple bodyguard mission_ was anything but. It's a long story."

Esdeath smiled and said, "Well, we have plenty of time. Tell me how a _simple bodyguard mission_ turned into overthrowing a government." Their dessert arrived and she said between bites of cake, "You have me very curious now so don't hold back on the details."

Naruto said, "Alright Esdeath-chan. It all started when Team Seven went to see a _Princess Gale_ movie…."

Esdeath was quite riveted for the next couple of hours as Naruto told her about Team Seven's adventure and unlike Naruto who was wrapped up in storytelling she noticed that a small audience had gathered around in the restaurant and people of all ages seemed very enthralled with hearing the story as if it was a great legend come to life.

"Anyway, Dotō ran himself out of juice by using his Twin Dragon Blizzard jutsu attack and I was able to find an opening and defeated him with my rasengan." said Naruto. That's when several children started clapping and startled Naruto a bit. "I didn't realize I had an audience." he said embarrassed. ' _Ninjas should really pay more attention to their surroundings_.' he mentally scolded himself.

Esdeath smiled rather brilliantly at him as several people asked to see the ' _legendary rasengan_ ' and after a bit of cajoling he demonstrated a normal sized rasengan after making everyone promise to stand back a bit. The light blue haired general was dazzled as the spiraling sphere of pure glowing chakra appeared in Naruto's hand and seemed to illuminate the entire restaurant and the whole crowd with it. ' _Such power and charisma radiates from him. He is truly amazing_.' Esdeath thought happily as the people cheered and Naruto smiled shyly.

Sometime later Naruto and Esdeath were walking back to Kazahana Castle after several people shook hands with ' _Naruto-sama'_ and praised his bravery. Naruto was a bit overwhelmed but Esdeath was quite overjoyed. ' _He has so much more potential than I realized. The people flock to him naturally and I know that rasengan he showed was only a tiny fraction of his power. He is truly worthy of being my partner_.' Esdeath blushed slightly and reached out with her hand shyly to take Naruto's hand as they walked….That was when she realized Naruto had his hands behind his head with his fingers interlaced. Quickly losing her nerve she decided to try again at a later time….

 **Fire Country, Team Kurenai's campsite**

Team Kurenai and company had made it across the Fire Country Border and decided to set up camp for the night. The trip across Hot Springs Country was pretty uneventful aside of lunch and everyone settled in after a big dinner into their tents with the three chunin ninjas taking turns on watch. Kiba was first, then Hinata and lastly Shino. Leone was sawing logs the minute she hit her bedroll. As for Akame….

Akame was in her tent and lying awake. She had been for hours. Once again the thoughts of her little sister Kurome filtered through her mind….Kurome had been trained as an elite assassin by the Empire just like Akame but while Akame's strength and endurance were from years of brutal and rigorous training Kurome wasn't so fortunate. Kurome had her body enhanced through doping and drugs that made her dependent upon them and therefore the Empire. Eventually those same drugs would _kill_ Kurome. They already were slowly. While Akame left the Empire of her own volition Kurome couldn't even if she wanted to. Kurome wanted her older sister to return to the Empire to ' _restore her honor_.' Both sisters still loved each other and wanted to be together again but fate had dealt them a cruel hand….

On top of that Kurome seemed to have developed an unstable mind and played with the corpses of her victims. Her Teigu, a katana named Yatsufusa allowed her to control eight corpses slain by the Teigu as puppets and she'd expressed the deranged concept of wanting to make Akame part of her _collection_. Somehow in Kurome's mind these puppets weren't _truly_ dead and that she still considered them her _friends_. Presumably that was what Kurome's idea was regarding Akame. The idea chilled Akame to the bone. It wasn't fear _of_ Kurome on the older sister's part but rather fear _for_ her. Akame truly wondered if her little sister had lost her mind….

The red eyed assassin also wondered if Kurome could ever be completely healed in body and in spirit. While Akame certainly had more blood on her hands than she could ever wash off; she didn't feel that her _soul_ was broken. She felt Kurome's was. In Akame's view Kurome was _very_ , **_very_** ill and badly needed help but Akame had no means of providing it….aside of killing Kurome to end her pain which was an _absolute_ last resort. Hinata had mentioned to Akame in passing that the leader of Konoha, the Fifth Hokage Senju Tsunade, was renowned as the greatest medical ninja on the Elemental Continent. Akame's thoughts kept drifting back to Kurome and wondered if somehow this Tsunade person could heal her little sister….The dark haired girl figured it was a pipe dream but she couldn't help but dwell on it….she eventually found she couldn't sleep no matter what she did and got up to sit by the campfire….

The black haired assassin crawled out of her tent and saw Hinata was sitting by the fire because it was her turn on watch. Hinata asked quietly, "What's wrong Akame-san; can't you sleep? No offense but I can tell you are exhausted."

Akame nodded at the perceptive young Hyūga woman. "I'm just restless. I have a lot on my mind and can't seem to get to sleep."

The indigo haired girl asked kindly, "Is it about your mission? I assure you we will make an effort to help you."

The red eyed girl shook her head. "No, the mission really isn't an issue. I honestly figure the political prisoner we've come for is already dead and gone. I think we'll end up travelling back empty handed."

"If that's not bothering you then what is it?" asked Hinata. "We're quite safe in this area if you're worried about an ambush." Seeing Akame wasn't worried about that from her body language Hinata simply asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Akame paused and looked across the fire into Hinata's pearl like eyes. After staring for a moment the black haired assassin asked, "Do you have any siblings?"

' _That was out of the blue_.' thought Hinata. She smiled gently and said, "I have my little sister Hanabi-chan. She's one of my most precious people. She's twelve years old now."

The red eyed girl asked, "Are you two close to one another?"

Hinata sighed. "We were very close when we were little but then our clan training kept us apart. It's only been since the war ended that we have been allowed to be real sisters again. I'm happy but I have missed Hanabi-chan a lot over the years."

Akame said, "I have a little sister too. Her name is Kurome. We were very close when we were growing up but now she works for the Empire and I work for the Revolutionary Army. I guess she's fourteen now. I love her but we are enemies because I defected from the Empire."

The Hyūga heiress said, "That must be terrible. Does she still care for you as well?"

"She loves me but considers me a traitor." said Akame wondering why she was telling a total stranger this. "Kurome's very sick and I want to help her and free her from the Empire but I don't know how."

"Does the Empire not have good hospitals?" asked Hinata with confusion in her voice.

Akame didn't realize it but she had tears running down her cheeks. "They give Kurome body enhancement drugs to make her a better assassin. Those drugs are slowly _killing_ her and I'm powerless to help her! I-I don't know what to do!" Akame broke down from the stress and cried. She didn't know when Hinata had come around to her side of the fire and embraced her. It took the red eyed girl a while before she finally got herself back under control. Akame finally said between hiccups, "I-I'm terribly sorry Hinata-san. I didn't mean to make a scene."

Hinata gently patted Akame's back. "We all need someone to talk to sometimes Akame-san. Don't worry about it. Are you feeling a little better now? I think you've had that bottled up inside of you for a long time and it needed to come out." Akame slowly nodded. It seemed that exhaustion had finally caught up with the red eyed young woman as she yawned. "Why don't you try to get some sleep?" said Hinata. "Hopefully you can rest a little easier now."

Akame quietly said, "Thank you Hinata-san. I really mean it." Akame quietly crawled back into her tent and fell into a dreamless sleep….

About twenty minutes later Leone peered out of her tent and saw Hinata's back to her silhouetted by the fire. Her gold eyes widened when Hinata said, "You can come out Leone-san."

Leone silently cursed herself for forgetting that Hinata could literally see three hundred and sixty degrees. As she crawled out of her tent she said, "I wasn't spying or anything. I just forgot you have eyes in the back of your head." Hinata shrugged as Leone joined her by the fire. Suddenly the blonde woman said quietly, "You did a good thing for Akame. I thank you."

Hinata replied "What are friends for?"

The cat like woman was taken aback. "You'd consider Akame and I your friends?"

"I don't see why not." said Hinata. "My entire team is made up of trackers and we have good instincts when it comes to reading people. Although your methods were quite wrong your purpose isn't. I don't know how much we can help you achieve your goals but I don't see why we can't be friends. Friends are good things to have. Besides, we just ended a massive war here a few months ago. I can empathize with the stress you must be under."

Leone gave a genuine smile and said, "You are a good person Hyūga Hinata. I hope we can be friends too." Leone then went back to her tent to sleep.

Shino soon took over the watch from Hinata and the rest of the night went peacefully….

 **Konoha, Hokage's Office**

The honorable Fifth Hokage Senju Tsunade was rudely awakened from her slumber at 6 A.M. at her desk by her faithful apprentice Shizune who then took it upon herself to criticize her Hokage for being up all night drinking in her office. Shizune then performed an **intervention** ' _for the sake of Tsunade's liver_ ' and cleared the office of _all_ of Tsunade's remaining sake bottles she had stashed here and there in the office - _even the ones in the hidden ceiling hatch!_ As if that wasn't enough the dark haired woman further overstepped her bounds by using medical ninjutsu to purge the remaining alcohol out of Tsunade's system to get her up and around for the day instead of letting Tsunade sleep off her remaining hangover or at least use it as an excuse to get a morning buzz to deal with the headache….

Tsunade groaned as she heard a knock on her door and an overly chipper Shizune came in with the morning mail. "I'm glad to see you bright eyed and alcohol free Tsunade-sama!" said Shizune cheerfully. Tsunade irritably gave her loyal apprentice _the finger_ under her desk. The dark haired woman figured her Master was doing that but decided she'd won a victory today against Lady Tsunade's blood alcohol level and brushed it off. "I've gone through the morning reports and Team Kakashi in Snow Country and Team Kurenai in Frost Country both have reported in. I ordinarily would not have brought these up to your attention but both reports make mention of jutsu enabling objects known as _Teigu_."

"Teigu? I've never heard the term." said Tsunade genuinely curious.

Shizune nodded. "They are apparently items created on another continent. Team Kurenai has two Teigu users travelling with them and are bringing them back to Konoha in an effort to ' _prevent an international incident from occurring_ ' as Aburame Shino put it.

"…." said Tsunade with a sweat drop. "Okay….what about Team Kakashi's report then?"

"Sakura-chan has a more technical report that the Teigu user there apparently can use wide scale ice jutsus something like the extinct Yuki Clan was known for." explained Shizune. "She has this person, a young woman named Esdeath under her medical care and wishes for further instructions. She plans to bring Esdeath-san back to Konoha when they return. From what Sakura-chan has written it's an excellent opportunity for a case study as well as helping this person to recover from a lengthy confinement."

"The name Esdeath certainly _sounds_ foreign. A lengthy confinement of what nature?" ask Tsunade.

"The person in question was found incarcerated in a hidden prison from Kazahana Dotō's time in power." said Shizune. "Apparently Esdeath-san was some sort of political prisoner but the situation is unclear as many of Dotō's records were lost when he was forcibly removed from power."

Tsunade glanced over both reports and said, "These three Teigu users all have origins on another continent as well and all three mention an Empire. Sakura has reported this Empire may be hostile and that Koyuki-sama has her people investigating Dotō's possible dealings with this Empire."

Shizune nodded. "Sakura-chan also indicated that she and Naruto-kun believe the hidden prison they found and Snow Country's airship technology may have come from this Empire as well. The problem is we have no hard proof of any of it."

The Fifth Hokage sighed. "But both groups have good instincts and proven it time and again. Kids these days….We just ended a war and now they've found evidence of a possibly hostile foreign power. Get a message out to Team Kakashi to return to Konoha with this Esdeath woman under their care. As for Team Kurenai they're already on their way…." She glanced over Shino's report once more " _Tiny Balls_ huh? No wonder the poor bastard keeps his name hidden…. _Damn_ , I guess his parents must have hated him or something…."

 **Imperial Capitol, Jaeger's Residence**

Kurome awoke early in the morning from her slumber once again wondering where her big sister Akame had gone. The younger woman bore a strong resemblance to her older sister Akame but had dark eyes and wore her hair in shorter twin tails style instead of straight like Akame. They even dressed in a similar manner. She was one of the Jaegers, a powerful group formed over two years ago under General Esdeath's dynamic leadership. They were strong; strong enough to battle the likes of Night Raid which they specifically were formed to combat. There were seven of them then….those were good times….But so many of them had died in battle.

Kurome, Wave and her undead puppet Run were all that was left of the Jaegers now. Ever since General Esdeath had been taken away two years ago (Wave swore it was an act of treason against Esdeath) they had been a special squad under several different commanders. They weren't treated kindly and were constantly in action against Night Raid because they were among the few strong enough to face the rebels. Kurome realized she was running out of time and wanted to call her older sister Akame out for one last battle between sisters. She wanted Akame to rejoin the Empire but deep down she knew that it would never happen. Kurome determined as a last resort that she would turn her beloved nee-chan into one of her puppets so they would be together _forever_ as sisters should be.

The dark eyed assassin had left various messages starting nearly four weeks ago for Akame to meet her but intelligence reports showed that Akame of Night Raid had vanished from the front lines and that she might be dead….Kurome didn't believe _that_ for a second. ' _I've kept leaving messages here and there that Akame nee-chan would be sure to see. I know she's_ _ **not**_ _dead. She's_ _ **far**_ _too strong to be dead. She's my nee-chan! The question is; where is she?_ ' It was with a twisted sense of pride that Kurome held her older sister. She loved Akame dearly….but could never forgive her for betraying the Empire.

Kurome also was beginning to have feelings for her fellow Jaeger, Wave. He was a genuinely good man that really cared about her. He'd sworn high and low that she had to live through this war and could be healed from all the damage done to her body by all the enhancement drugs. Kurome wanted to believe him. She really did. He also was trying to steer her away from fighting Akame. The poor man just didn't understand that the situation between her and Akame nee-chan had to be settled this way….Kurome dreamed last night of being with Wave and even having a family together out in the country….Akame was there to and was a doting Aunt to her little ones. The young assassin wanted to cry.

They were in a war and the Empire was falling apart. Since General Esdeath had been locked away to god knows where and General Budo, the strongest General in the Empire, had died recently at the hands of Night Raid….Public insurrections grew stronger by the day and the Revolutionary Army seemed to grow in strength as well. Kurome believed that the Empire could survive this through sheer military might but Wave had indicated to her that the Prime Minister himself was corrupt and eating away at the Empire's very core….Being as loyal to his country as Wave was it shocked Kurome to no end to hear him say that. When she asked him what he was going to do, (she feared he would defect) Wave told her ' _He would see it through to the end to protect her_ ….'

Kurome once again found herself shackled in a situation beyond her control and feared being killed if she outlived her usefulness. Her body was going piece by piece….The young woman decided to lie in bed a while longer as silent tears streamed down her face….She just wanted for it to all go away….

 _Things didn't look good for the Empire….Unknown to Kurome their top military strategists felt they might be able to hold out another two years. They predicted it would be brutal and bloody for the Revolutionary Army but whichever side won would have a pyrrhic victory at best. There would be no true victors and countries from outside of the thousand year old Empire would easily be able to mop up whatever was left…._

 **Snow Country, Kazahana Castle**

Esdeath woke up and found both Sakura and Naruto there waiting when she got up and dressed. She cursed silently. If Sakura was there then Naruto couldn't put his _magic hands_ to work. Esdeath wanted to wake up to one of Naruto-kun's incredible back rubs _every_ morning….However she greeted them pleasantly. "Good morning Naruto-kun; Sakura-san. I was just getting ready for my morning exercises. Would you like to watch my form?" The last question was obviously aimed at Naruto.

Sakura smiled and said, "Actually, the mission Naruto and I are on is basically completed. We're going back to Fire Country soon."

The young light blue haired woman felt herself panicking. ' _Naruto-kun is leaving me behind?!_ '

Naruto said, "Anyway, Sakura-chan and I are waiting for final instructions from the Hokage before we depart. We were wondering if you'd like to come back to Konoha with us until you're fully recovered. If you don't want to; I'm sure we could-"

"I'd _love_ to go back to your home Village with you Naruto-kun!" answered Esdeath excitedly. ' ** _Yes!_** _ **More back rubs!**_ ' she cheered mentally. It seemed the whole 'building an army to get revenge' thing had slipped Esdeath's mind temporarily….

Naruto and Sakura both smiled at her eagerness and Sakura said, "Once we get our orders we'll make arrangements then. We'll have to get you some additional traveling clothes though. It's about five days by ship and then another three days traveling through Fire Country at a civilian pace. Since you're already up and around why don't you exercise and then you and I can do some clothes shopping?" Naruto was preparing to escape in a body flicker when Sakura grabbed his ear so he couldn't get away. "Naturally Naruto will be coming along to carry our purchases like the proper gentleman he is. _Isn't that right Naruto?_ " Sakura said with a manic look in her emerald eyes.

Naruto knew there was no escaping now. He shivered at Sakura's crazed look and said, "S-sure thing Sakura-chan! I'll tag along with you and Esdeath-chan." he said in a frightened tone.

Sakura nodded and smiled as she released his ear. ' _Now you're committed pack mule!_ ' she thought evilly. "I don't know what your tastes in clothes are Esdeath-san but I'm sure we'll find something you like…."

"Excellent!" said the light blue haired woman. Esdeath had never really done much clothes shopping (she preferred her uniforms) but she thought this might turn out to be interesting.

 _Naruto just cowered in fear and prayed that Esdeath wasn't like Sakura and Ino when it came to shopping_ ….

POSTSCRIPT:

And that's a wrap. I've mentioned it before but I'm following the Akame ga Kiru manga in which Kurome's state is brought on body enhancement drugs at the hands of her superiors. I have yet to see the anime but as I understand it in the anime Kurome is just deathly ill (others may need to clarify on this point). Anyway, the point in the manga I've read up to is around chapter 64/65 so that _very_ roughly coincides with the timeline in this story. Since Esdeath was removed from the canon plot two years before in this story a lot of different things have happened. I'll be adding more glimpses into the situation with the Empire and the Revolutionary Army as more time passes to fill in the gaps. See you next time. Blue out. 12/6/15


	4. Chapter 4

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

 _Well, I managed to churn out another update despite all things. I really need to get back to my regular stories but I just haven't been able to stay focused due to real life problems in general. Here's chapter 4; enjoy!_

Last time:

 _Naruto said, "Anyway, Sakura-chan and I are waiting for final instructions from the Hokage before we depart. We were wondering if you'd like to come back to Konoha with us until you're fully recovered. If you don't want to; I'm sure we could-"_

 _"_ _I'd_ _love_ _to go back to your home Village with you Naruto-kun!" answered Esdeath excitedly. '_ _ **Yes!**_ _ **More back rubs!**_ _' she cheered mentally. It seemed the whole 'building an army to get revenge' thing had slipped Esdeath's mind temporarily…._

 _Naruto and Sakura both smiled at her eagerness and Sakura said, "Once we get our orders we'll make arrangements then. We'll have to get you some additional traveling clothes though. It's about five days by ship and then another three days traveling through Fire Country at a civilian pace. Since you're already up and around why don't you exercise and then you and I can do some clothes shopping?" Naruto was preparing to escape in a body flicker when Sakura grabbed his ear so he couldn't get away. "Naturally Naruto will be coming along to carry our purchases like the proper gentleman he is._ _Isn't that right Naruto?_ _" Sakura said with a manic look in her emerald eyes._

 _Naruto knew there was no escaping now. He shivered at Sakura's crazed look and said, "S-sure thing Sakura-chan! I'll tag along with you and Esdeath-chan." he said in a frightened tone._

 _Sakura nodded and smiled as she released his ear. '_ _Now you're committed pack mule!_ _' she thought evilly. "I don't know what your tastes in clothes are Esdeath-san but I'm sure we'll find something you like…."_

 _"_ _Excellent!" said the light blue haired woman. Esdeath had never really done much clothes shopping (she preferred her uniforms) but she thought this might turn out to be interesting._

 _Naruto just cowered in fear and prayed that Esdeath wasn't like Sakura and Ino when it came to shopping…._

Chapter 4

 **The Snow Country ship** ** _Ice Skater_**

It was morning and Sakura groaned irritably in her cabin which was next to Esdeath's. Esdeath was getting her morning _back rub_ and was moaning like a bitch in heat….Sakura wanted to go over and smack Naruto around but he _honestly_ believed he was just giving Esdeath a simple massage….

 _Flashback…._

 _Naruto was sitting on his bunk in his cabin just after they boarded the_ _Ice Skater_ _and unpacked their things. Sakura was lecturing him against using a seduction hijutsu on Esdeath. She'd already told him that if Esdeath decided to force herself upon him that she wouldn't help the blonde ninja out at all._

 _"_ _But Sakura-chan, it's just a relaxation technique." said Naruto in denial. "For you to actually use it as a seduction technique you have to give a full body massage and reach around the front as well." he explained as he motioned from his chest to his abdomen. "I haven't touched anything but Esdeath-chan's back and shoulders above the waistline."_

 _Sakura face palmed. "You_ _do_ _realize that you probably have the most potent chakra in the Elemental Nations don't you? Your 'technique' is far more effective than anyone else's could ever be as a result!"_

 _Naruto huffed. "It's just a_ _basic relaxation technique_ _Sakura-chan. I can't_ _believe_ _you think I'm trying to seduce Esdeath-chan."_

 _"_ _Have you considered giving her a_ _normal_ _massage?" asked the frustrated rosette._

 _The blonde ninja cocked his head to one side. "It's the only kind of massage I know how to do Sakura-chan. I didn't know there was another kind." Then Naruto crossed his arms and said gruffly, "None of the_ _other_ _women I gave massages to complained that I was trying to seduce them or anything."_

 _"_ _You've got to be_ _kidding_ _me!" exclaimed Sakura. "Just how many women have you….given your so-called back rubs to?"_

 _Naruto shrugged. "I don't know Sakura-chan. Ero-sennin had me do it a lot because I had a knack for it. It wasn't like I kept count!"_

 _Sakura's jaw hit the floor. '_ _Is he really that dense?! It must be genetic_ _.'_

 _The two teammates bickered a while but finally Sakura's face fell and she said, "You're an idiot. I give up." rotating on her heel she left Naruto's cabin._

 _Flashback end…._

That was three days ago. Now the genetically oblivious idiot was driving Esdeath into orgasmic bliss _every single morning_ for the past three days -and there were still two to go before they reached Fire Country! Sakura had come up with a hypothesis: In spite of the fact Naruto _was_ a pervert he had indeed done his best to resist his Master Jiraiya-sama's utterly super-perverted ways and teachings. It wasn't like he was some kind of skirt chaser that was always out whoring. Sakura was proud of him for that. On the other hand she figured Jiraiya had ' _innocently_ ' trained Naruto in these so called _relaxation techniques_ in order for Naruto to drive women wild and turn the blonde ninja into a total sex machine. Sakura figured that Jiraiya had taught other ' _innocent_ ' things to Naruto that probably would make him an absolute animal in the sack.

Sakura hated to think of her brother figure that way but she figured Jiraiya-sama would pull something like that (that and she loved Sasuke-kun of course). The rosette had come to one conclusion though; when Sasuke-kun returned like he said he would Sakura would _force_ him to learn those hijustsu techniques from Naruto so Sasuke-kun could give _Sakura_ orgasmic massages - _lots and lots of them_. She knew sure as hell that Orochimaru hadn't taught Sasuke-kun _anything_ like that and she'd be damned before she went without from the Uchiha that owned her heart….and kept her waiting. Judging by Esdeath's sighs and panting in the next cabin Sakara figured Naruto was a full blown master of his craft. The rosette just shook her head…. _'My teammate is either a genius at seducing women or a complete idiot….(sigh) oh, who am I kidding? He's a total baka_.'

 **Fire Country, the Gates of Konoha**

Team Kurenai arrived in the morning with Akame and Leone in tow. They were generally in high spirits and Leone and Akame were looking forward to getting a nice rest with actual beds instead of camping. Izumo informed them as they signed it, "Hokage-sama is expecting you and your two guests so report there first."

Shino nodded and said in his usual monotone, "Understood."

Izumo and Kotestu both took a good long look at the buxom blond Leone as she walked in. Izumo simply said, "Daammnn….what a woman." once she was out of earshot. Kotetsu silently nodded in agreement with Izumo's astute assessment. They both wondered if she might not be related to Tsunade.

 _Konoha road to the Hokage Tower…._

"So your Hokage is your general?" asked Leone. "It's kind of hard to believe this whole village is a military dictatorship given how peaceful it looks."

"All hidden ninja villages have similar governments that are ruled by a Kage." explained Hinata. "Most of the civilians in Konoha are related to ninja clans or work in an industry related to ninjas. If you wanted to see a more 'normal' city you would want to go to the Fire Capital or another large city."

Akame's eyes shifted around. She caught glimpses of ANBU observing them from a distance on the rooftops. Unlike Leone that seemed fairly relaxed Akame was on edge. Leone turned to her younger companion and said, "What's wrong Akame? You seem tense."

The black haired assassin simply said, "We are being watched."

"It is to be expected." said Shino in his monotone. "You are armed and potentially hostile so naturally you are being monitored. This is a ninja village. Nothing is going to happen as long as you don't do something out of turn."

"You have nothing to worry about." assured Hinata. "You are simply going to see the Hokage and talk to her."

Leone patted Akame's head affectionately. "Just go with the flow Akame. It will be alright." ' _I hope_.'

It wasn't long before Team Kurenai submitted their reports and exited and Akame and Leone were allowed to enter the Hokage's Office. They saw Tsunade sitting behind her desk with Shizune standing at her side. Tsunade said, "I am Senju Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. I welcome you to Konoha. Team Kurenai has appraised me of you unique situation….and your previous indiscretions. May I know your names please?"

Leone could feel the power radiating off this woman and gulped. Akame simply kept a level head and said, "I am Akame, an assassin and this is my partner Leone. I realize our actions in Frost Country were reckless and we are hoping to procure your assistance in contacting Snow Country diplomatically to prevent another incident from occurring."

"I see. Can you explain to me your situation in detail?" asked Tsunade. "I know the general state of affairs from Team Kurenai's reports but I would like to hear it from you directly so there are no misconceptions."

Akame decided that hiding information from this woman would be a _very_ bad idea. Tsunade's presence was quite overwhelming. "We came from our home continent looking for a political prisoner that was a former General in the Imperial Army and was locked away by the corrupt Prime Minister of the Empire. We are members of the Revolutionary Army that wishes to overthrow the Prime Minister and the Empire. It is our intention to invite this former General to join our side against the Prime Minister."

Tsunade's amber eyes stared hard into Akame's red ones. "And what do you intend to do if this former General refuses your invitation?"

The assassin said in a cold tone, "Then we are to execute her regardless of the consequences."

Leone nearly jumped in panic. "Ahaha! What Akame-chan means to say is-"

The Fifth Hokage cut Leone off with a glare. "I believe what Akame-san said was perfectly clear." She looked back Akame. "I appreciate you honesty. That could lead to political repercussions however. If this person is already free and part of Snow Country's citizenry then I can't exactly make arrangements for you to potentially kill a person..." Tsunade pause and looked at Akame and Leone a moment before she asked, "Your target wouldn't happen to be a Teigu using young woman name Esdeath would it?" Akame was impassive but Leone flinched ever so slightly. Tsunade then said, "You hide it well Akame-san but your partner didn't. I can make arrangements for you to talk to her but you **can't** kill her unless some questions are answered. I understand you have a mission to complete but you aren't in your country so you'll have to play by our country's rules. Is that acceptable Akame-san, Leone-san?"

Leone was sweating heavily from the pressure and Akame was showing small signs of fatigue. Swallowing, Akame said, "I accept your terms Hokage-sama. We will talk to Esdeath without threat to her person….If necessary we will take further steps under your guidance. We didn't travel from another continent to make more enemies."

"….And you Leone-san?" asked Tsunade.

Truthfully Leone was torn but she saw Akame's decision was made. "I accept you terms as well Hokage-sama."

The pressure in the room seemed to lighten as Tsunade leaned back. "Very good then. Esdeath-san is already on her way here so I will be able to arrange a meeting between you once she arrives." Leone and Akame couldn't quite hide their surprise at this news. Tsunade then asked, "Have both of you been immunized for diseases on this continent and checked over? As a medic I can't have you dying of a minor disease or inadvertently spreading some kind of a plague from you home continent."

Leone said with a sweat drop, "Actually I never thought of such a thing…."

Hearing ' _medic_ ' started the wheels in Akame's head turning about her little sister Kurome but she was in no position to ask the Hokage for such a favor at this point. Sensing no ill will Akame said, "If you have a treatment facility we are willing to submit to an examination for everyone's safety."

" _We are?!_ " asked Leone in a shocked tone. " _Says who?!_ "

Akame cocked an eyebrow. "Says me. The commander put me in charge of this mission remember?"

The cat like woman fidgeted and then said, "Alright Akame you win. But if they murder us in a hospital then I'll blame you _forever_ when we get to hell!"

….

Team Kurenai was given the task of escorting Leone and Akame to the Konoha Hospital. As they walked along the two members of Night Raid were quietly making conversation and looking at the peaceful village.

"Did you see the huge rack on that Hokage woman?!" asked Leone astonished. "Damn, I wonder just how big she is."

Akame's head pivoted mechanically towards her stacked blonde companion with an utterly flat look. It wasn't like Leone's _assets_ weren't proudly on display.

Leone saw her partner's emotionless stare and asked "What? What is it?" She started to sweat as Akame's dead stare continued to bore into her.

Finally Akame said. "You can shut up now." Leone pouted and Team Kurenai shook their heads and sweat dropped.

As they entered the hospital they saw a black haired woman with a baby girl coming towards them. She smiled softly and said "Hi kids! How is my team doing?"

Hinata answered first. "Kurenai-sensei! We're so glad to see you. How is baby Mirai?"

Kurenai came over and noticed the two guests her team was escorting. Shino handled the appropriate introductions and Hinata held little Mirai who cooed and giggled as the Hyūga heiress baby talked to her cutely.

Leone said, "Gee Akame, with the fair skin, black hair and red eyes I'd think you and Kurenai-san were related."

Everyone looked back and forth between Akame and Kurenai before the two answered in synch, "I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Everyone blinked and Kurenai and Akame looked at each other in surprise before they said in synch again. "I'm sure we can't be related." Both women stared at each other and Kurenai said, "Well I'd best take Mirai home. It's time for her feeding." Scooping up Mirai from Hinata Kurenai said her farewells and departed.

Kiba stared at Akame and said, "Maybe you two are related somehow."

"Don't be ridiculous Kiba." said Shino face palming. "It was just a fluke."

' _That really was pretty strange_ ….' thought the whole group. Akame just remained silent and wondered….

 **Fire Country, Port City two days later** ….

It was morning and Esdeath was practically _glowing_ with happiness as she disembarked the _Ice Skater_ with Naruto and Sakura. She'd never had a better trip in her life! ' _If Naruto-kun can do that with his hands what can he do with the rest of his body?_ ' She wanted to giggle like a schoolgirl but years of discipline kept her from doing so. She had an image to maintain after all….

Esdeath's euphoria was completely lost upon Naruto but her smiles and shy blushes at Naruto were _painfully_ obvious to Sakura as they had breakfast in Port City. "Well, it's just about three days at a civilian pace to Konoha Esdeath-chan." said Naruto. "We'll have to spend at least two nights in tents but that shouldn't be a big deal."

"I guess I'll have to share a tent with you Naruto-kun…." said Esdeath shyly as she blushed.

' _I'm nipping this in the bud!_ ' thought Sakura decisively. "Oh, that won't be necessary Esdeath-san. My tent is a double so there will be plenty of room. Naruto has a single so it would be _way_ too cramped for the both of you. Besides, you need a good night's rest given you're convalescing. Naruto would wake you up when he crawled in and out to take his turn on watch." Sakura's tone was friendly but it also conveyed that she would hear no arguments on the subject. Esdeath pouted knowing she'd been foiled….and Naruto was clueless as ever….

After eating they hit the road for Konoha. Naruto was soon talking to his resident furry partner Kurama. " ** _I'm telling you Naruto, the Hyūga girl has already staked her claim. This foreign woman is trying to do the same. I foresee one almighty catfight coming up_**."

' _What are you talking about Kurama? I'm sure Hinata-chan and Esdeath-chan would make great friends_.' said Naruto. _'I mean they are both quiet and turn red a lot….and they both pretty and have beautiful blue hair. They have so much in common. I'm sure they'll hit it off easily_.'

" ** _I'm talking about territorialism here Naruto_**." said Kurama with a sigh. He felt a migraine coming on. " ** _You DO understand the concept don't you? You know; when females get territorial_**."

" _I understand territories fine Kurama_." said the blonde. " _Fire Country is a territory; Lightning Country is a territory, Wind Country is a territory_ …."

" ** _Exactly._** **_And what happens when one country marches into another country's territory Naruto?_** " asked the fox hoping to get through to his totally oblivious partner.

" _Well, generally it's a declaration of war_." stated Naruto after thinking for a minute. " _Hopefully it can be diverted through diplomacy. I still don't see what this has to do with Hinata-chan and Esdeath-chan though_."

" ** _Females who are territorial declare wars on each other ALL THE TIME Naruto._** " said Kurama as if he was talking to a slow child. " ** _When your Mother Kushina claimed your Father as her territory she started thrashing any woman that even LOOKED at Minato with a hint of lust. I'm telling you it WASN'T pretty." '_** ** _Of course she was totally oblivious that Minato was head over heels in love with her for years….Oh gods; history is repeating itself! It must be an Uzumaki thing!_** **'**

" _Kurama, it isn't like Esdeath-chan is planning to invade Hinata-chan's house_." laughed Naruto. " _Don't be silly. There are no territorial disputes going on._ "

Kurama's jaw hit the floor at his partner's idiocy. He buried his head in his furry paws. **_'_** ** _I think I need to cry now. Naruto's level of ignorance about females is so great that it's like a dead albatross tied around my neck. He isn't going to get the idea until some girl ties him up in a chair and uses him as her talking dildo while screaming I LOVE YOU at the top of her lungs! I give up…._** '

While Kurama was lamenting over the injustice of it all Naruto was brought back out of his thoughts by Sakura talking to him. "I'm sorry what did you say Sakura-chan?" asked the blonde.

Sakura motioned ahead to a puddle in the middle of the road about a hundred yards ahead of them. It was hot and dry out. It obviously hadn't rained in days….Both teammates got a nauseating sense of déjà vu remembering their first C ranked mission and the Demon Brothers. "Oh give me a break…." muttered Naruto under his breath as he face palmed. He activated his sensory ninjutsu and said quietly, there are two in the puddle and three up in the trees branches overhanging the road."

Sakura said, "I'll shake them down and you take them out. Esdeath-san needs to be protected."

Esdeath raised an eyebrow hearing the conversation between the two teammates. She scanned ahead and while she didn't see anything but a puddle but she did sense a weak killing intent. Naruto said quietly, "Brace yourself for a shockwave Esdeath-chan." before the light blue haired woman could really react or reply she saw Sakura's foot raise and then hit the ground with a minor earthquake that made her stumble. She saw the puddle seem to evaporate and two shocked ninjas appear and fall flat on their faces. Another three ninjas fell out of the trees and landed unceremoniously on their backsides in a tangle of bodies.

See the five trying to clamber to their feet Naruto saw their scratched forehead protectors were from Grass Country and blurred through the hand signs as he threw a brace of shuriken. "Shuriken shadow clone jutsu!" said Naruto as the three shuriken he threw multiplied into a wall of a thousand spinning metal streaks of death. The ensuing bloodbath was easily predicable and Easdeath had stars in her eyes as their five would be attackers were sliced to bloody ribbons. Naruto made five shadow clones that went forward and checked what little was left of the bodies.

One of the clones called out, "They aren't rigged boss; should we take their heads for bounty?"

Naruto nodded. "Go ahead and take the heads and anything else of use. Dispose of the rest while I look them up in the bingo book."

Esdeath watched with fascination as the clones effortlessly cut off the damaged heads and searched for anything useful on the bodies. Naruto himself was identifying the missing nin's heads as his clones finished up and then used minor fire jutsus and reduced the remains to ash. After that was done Naruto sealed up the heads and belongings (and cleaned his three shuriken he'd thrown). Then Sakura used an earth jutsu to erase the fact there had even been a clash. The light blue haired woman marveled at the ninja's efficiency. To her or anyone else coming down the road it looked like an ordinary summer day without a trace of bloodshed. Best of all it was obvious that Naruto and Sakura hadn't even broken a sweat….

 _Flashback, Esdeath's Imperial Academy days…._

 _"_ _So what exactly were these Ninja's Professor?" asked Esdeath in interest. "If they were that powerful why didn't we try to co-opt them or at least use their methods?"_

 _The Professor got a gleam in his eye. "The ninjas left no traces of themselves Officer Esdeath. It was said that entire Imperial squads would vanish and not a single trace of them could be found of them. Some books have theorized that the ninjas weren't completely wiped out and may have interbred with existing clans. Some clans that are known for their great assassination skills date back to the earliest days of the Empire and have completely unique and secret skills passed down from generation to generation. Who is to say they might not be descended of the Ninja Clan? Some of us in this very room might carry Ninja blood within us. It's pure speculation but I personally don't find it to be that farfetched."_

 _Her fellow officer Najenda looked over at Esdeath after class ended and said, "Just think of the possibilities Esdeath." Najenda's purple eyes were sparking with energy. "What do you think we could do with an_ _ **army**_ _of these Ninjas? I'm going to read up more on them and learn more." Esdeath eagerly nodded at her friend. The possibilities were right there for the taking!_

 _Flashback end…._

Esdeath was shaken out of her musings by Sakura who said, "We need to take these heads to a bounty station and collect on them. Are you up to a detour of an hour or so?"

The light blue haired woman nodded eagerly. "Certainly I'm up to it. What you and Naruto-kun did was quite impressive. You'd never know there was a battle here."

"Ninjas leave no traces." said Sakura with darkness in her green eyes. "It's an unwritten rule."

Esdeath's blue eyes gleamed with excitement. ' _Yes,_ _ **very**_ _impressive. I wonder what else you can do. That old geezer was right. Those of us who can_ _ **truly**_ _harness the power of our Teigu may well be of ninja blood ourselves_ ….'

 **Konoha, Training Ground Eight**

Akame sneezed. ' _Someone must be talking about me_ ….' She looked across the sparring grounds at her opponent Hinata. Akame had taken a liking to the quiet girl. Hinata was using juken without full chakra (though it still hurt like hell) and Akame was using the Murasame with its sheath on but it could still knock someone out. The red eyed assassin noted the cold fire in Hinata's eyes as she activated her byakugan and quietly said, "Come…."

The two young women charged each other in a flurry of strikes that were total blurs to the untrained eye. Kiba, Shino, Leone and surprisingly Hanabi were all watching eagerly as the two combatants danced and glided around each other. Both Akame and Hinata's style were about precision and finesse as opposed to Kiba or Leone who were more brawler types. Since Team Kurenai was in charge of keeping Akame and Leone out of trouble they came up with the idea of sparring yesterday and everyone seemed to enjoy the strenuous workouts. The ninjas and the members of Night Raid also found a mutual respect growing between them. For Akame and Leone in particular it was….nice. Back home the idea of sparring with your friends just for fun was unknown to them.

Hanabi was watching Hinata and Akame spar with her byakugan active. ' _Nee-chan is right. Akame-san has instinctively learned to channel chakra through her body to enhance her strength and speed without using her Teigu at all. At this point Akame-san isn't channeling any chakra through her blade period. Her chakra control is very refined and efficient. I believe she could learn tree walking and water walking easily….On the other hand; Leone-san relies entirely on her Teigu belt to regulate her chakra and when she has it active she's very wasteful of it. She's lucky she has large chakra reserves….Of course they've probably built up a lot from her burning so much chakra needlessly over time. Teaching her even the leaf sticking exercise would be a hard job_.'

Kiba and Akamaru were sitting by Hanabi in the shade of a tree. He'd been sparring with Leone earlier and he was amazed at how similar her Teigu's ability was like the Inuzuka all fours jutsu. He actually would have said the Teigu was created from knowledge based on Inuzuka techniques but given it was made a thousand years ago on another continent he found that idea impossible to believe. Still, the similarities were astounding. It made him wonder what other kind of Teigus existed out there….

Leone was watching with interest as Akame and Hinata went at it. ' _Akame has an edge in raw strength but Hinata seems to have an edge in maneuverability. They are pretty well evenly matched in speed. I'm not sure but I would guess Akame has more endurance. It blows my mind how Hinata can catch the flat side of a sword and alter its trajectory. That's unheard of! Night raid could really use some ninja allies. I wonder if there would be some way to get their help…?_ '

Shino called out "Time!" and Hinata and Akame backed away from each other and bowed to end the spar. Both girls were hot and sweaty but it _had_ been rather intense. "That was a good spar you two." said Shino. "Get something to drink and relax."

Hinata and Akame came over to sit with the others and quickly retrieved their water bottles. "That got pretty extreme Nee-chan; Akame-san." said Hanabi excitedly. "I think you'd make a good team they way you compliment each other."

"I agree." said Shino. "Now that we've all worked up a good sweat we should wash up, grab a bite to eat and then decide what to do this afternoon."

Hanabi said, "Let's go to the hot springs and soak Hinata nee-chan! Please?"

Hinata smiled and said, "The hot springs do sound nice. What do you think Akame-san, Leone-san?"

Akame smiled softly and nodded and Leone said, "To the hot springs then!" with gusto in her voice.

….

 **Konoha Hot Springs**

Hinata was rinsing Hanabi's hair before they got in the springs to soak and Hanabi quietly confirmed Hinata's beliefs that Akame would make a fine ninja. It was a shame they couldn't train her….The Hyūga sisters soon came out to the springs to join Akame (who was soaking) and Leone (who was drinking).

"This place has pretty good sake." said Leone in a satisfied tone. She had a good buzz going. "Do you want some _sake_ Hanabi-chan?" she asked teasingly.

Hanabi said, "No thank you. I'm not old enough yet." and scooted back on Hinata's other side. They heard a scuffling on the other side of the fence to the men's side and both Hyūga sisters immediately activated their byakugans. That's when they saw Ebisu staring through a peephole in the fence directly at Leone. "Nee-chan, it's a pervert!" whispered Hanabi as she sank into the water to further conceal herself. Sinking down as well; Hinata sighed and pulled a senbon needle out of her hair and darted it into the side of the peephole so it wouldn't actually travel through the hole all the way. They heard Ebisu let out a girlish shriek followed by a splash of him falling backwards into the water.

Hanabi then heard Sarutobi Konohamaru's voice from the men's side. "What the hell are you doing Ebisu sensei? You'd better not be peeping again or I'll tell Moegi-chan and she'll beat the ever living hell out of you!"

"Be quiet Honorable Grandson!" hissed Ebisu back.

About that time Moegi drifted over to where the Hyūga sisters were. "Hi Hanabi-chan!" she greeted in a friendly tone. Don't you worry, I'll pummel Ebisu-sensei after we all get out. Here's your senbon back Hinata-san."

Hinata smiled and nodded. "Thank you Moegi-chan." said Hinata. _'No wonder Naruto-kun calls Ebisu-san a closet pervert_ ….'

Leone and Akame were soon introduced to Moegi who was only too willing to try some sake from Leone. Hinata and Hanabi changed both Leone and Moegi's minds with their _patented_ Hyūga sister's double glare attack. Leone and Moegi just pouted….and Akame secretly smiled.

Within the hour the girls were dressed and met up with Shino, Kiba and Akamaru to get some food….

….

 **Yakiniku Q Barbeque**

Hanabi watched in unabashed awe as Akame packed away more barbeque beef and pork than she thought was humanly possible. Being raised as a proper lady Hanabi was _really_ trying not to stare…. _'It's….it's like a huge wagon wreck! It's so horrible to see but you just can't look away!_ ' thought the young Hyūga girl as Akame _inhaled_ yet another piece of steak.

 _Poor Hanabi would never see meat the same way again_ ….

 **Fire Country, Bounty Station**

Naruto was quietly counting up the ryo bills for the four C class and one D class missing nins they'd taken out. Soon he'd given Sakura her half of the cash and they decided to grab some food while they were there and have a late lunch. As Esdeath, Naruto and Sakura sat down to eat the blonde said, "From what the bounty records say; I guess those guys deserted before the last war from Grass Country and have been highwaymen ever since. What a waste."

Sakura nodded in agreement and Esdeath asked, "Do you often face such foes? They certainly weren't of your caliber."

Sakura shook her head. "Most ninjas of that level prey on civilians. They should have withdrawn when they saw our forehead protectors but didn't. I guess they thought they could take us with numbers alone. Any decent chunin team could have taken them out without much trouble. I really don't know what they were thinking. It wasn't like any of us were carrying any obvious valuables."

"Perhaps their luck just ran out." said Esdeath. "I'm sure you both would have preferred much more challenging foes."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Actually Esdeath-chan, we just want to keep you protected and get home safely."

Esdeath smiled shyly and blushed a bit. ' _It makes me really happy to hear him say that_.'

The group of three was soon heading back to the main road that would lead them to Konoha. The morning had been far more eventful than planned….

POSTSCRIPT:

And done. This chapter was a little shorter but it was a good stopping point and I really want to start writing about Esdeath's arrival in Konoha. We'll be seeing that next chapter. It seems Akame has more skills than meets the eye from a ninja point of view. What will that portend? Also, will Ebisu change his evil peeping ways after nearly losing an eyeball to Hinata or will he consider Leone's rack worth the risk? See you next time (whenever that is). Blue out. 12/13/15


	5. Chapter 5

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I want to thank **Lord Farsight** for his input on this chapter. Chapter 5 seemed to flow fairly well and came out faster than I expected. Without further ado, _FIGHT ON!_

Last time:

 _…_ _.Esdeath asked, "Do you often face such foes? They certainly weren't of your caliber."_

 _Sakura shook her head. "Most ninjas of that level prey on civilians. They should have withdrawn when they saw our forehead protectors but didn't. I guess they thought they could take us with numbers alone. Any decent chunin team could have taken them out without much trouble. I really don't know what they were thinking. It wasn't like any of us were carrying any obvious valuables."_

 _"_ _Perhaps their luck just ran out." said Esdeath. "I'm sure you both would have preferred much more challenging foes."_

 _Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Actually Esdeath-chan, we just want to keep you protected and get home safely."_

 _Esdeath smiled shyly and blushed a bit. '_ _It makes me really happy to hear him say that._ _'_

 _The group of three was soon heading back to the main road that would lead them to Konoha. The morning had been far more eventful than planned…._

Chapter 5

 **Fire Country, Gates of Konoha**

 _-ROUND ONE: FIGHT!-_

Three days had past and the rest of the trip to Konoha was fairly uneventful for Naruto, Sakura and Esdeath. As they reached the front gates Naruto said, "Home at last!" jubilantly.

Hinata was passing nearby and sensed Naruto's warm and unique chakra signature. She soon came up and saw Naruto and his group standing there talking with the gate guards Izumo and Kotetsu. The indigo haired beauty rushed up and gently placed her hands on Naruto's right arm. It was really being forward for her but she was very happy to see him. "Naruto-kun; I'm so glad you are back safely. How is your new arm? Is it okay?" she asked shyly with a slight blush.

Naruto turned and smiled at Hinata. He made a fist and flexed his fingers. "My new arm is great Hinata-chan! Tsunade baa-chan did a great job."

Hinata smiled in relief and said, "That's wonderful Naruto-kun! I'm so happy to hear it."

Suddenly Esdeath gripped Naruto's left arm possessively and said in an icy voice, "Naruto-kun, who _is_ this person?" Esdeath did her best to level Hinata with a completely psycho stare and poured a massive killing at intent at Hinata. ' _He's MINE bitch!_ ' thought the light blue haired woman ferociously. People around them took a healthy step back.

The Hyūga heiress started to quail a bit but then she saw Esdeath's hands on Naruto's other arm. She gripped Naruto's right arm firmly and activated her byakugan with such a glare that the local wildlife began to flee. ' _Keep your hands off MY man you hussy!_ ' she thought with determination that she hadn't felt since she faced off against the Juubi. "Is this an _acquaintance_ of yours Naruto-kun?" she asked in a tone like nails across a chalkboard.

An image of a dragon appeared behind Esdeath and likewise one of a tiger appeared behind Hinata. Neither young woman was backing down one bit as sparks flew between them and they ratcheted up their killing intent at each other even higher.

Sakura pictured the destruction of Pein's shinra tensei in her mind and saw visions of Konoha becoming a crater again as the tiger and dragon clashed violently against each other.

Naruto's eyes widened at the massive killing intent he had point blank in his face. Even Kaguya's full fury had _nothing_ on this! Naruto's mind was reeling as he thought, _'Is_ _ **this**_ _what Kurama meant about females getting territorial and going to war?_ ' Then he thought of both young women's blushes and shy smiles. _'Does this mean Hinata-chan and Esdeath-chan both…._ _ **l-like**_ _me?!_ '

Inside Naruto's mindscape Kurama yelled, " ** _Kamis above! Reality has finally struck our resident idiot with the impact of a meteor collision! DO SOMETHING BLOCKHEAD! The killing intent between the two of them is going to destroy us all! I don't want to die!_** "

The blonde ninja saw the fearsome determination etched in Esdeath's and Hinata's slightly psychotic faces as the glared at each other angrily. Izumo and Kotetsu had already fainted from the killing intent and Sakura's eyes were big as saucers. The ANBU arrived and were battle ready. Naruto felt a perverted giggle not unlike Jiraiya's coming on but managed to tamp it down. ' _I….I never noticed it before but they're both so….so…._ _ **sexy**_ _when they are angry. This is kind of hot_ ….'

Kurama nearly had an aneurism. " ** _NARUTO! Admire them later and stop them from killing one another and us in the process!_** "

Naruto grabbed both girls' hands and flared his Sage Mode which caused both of them to gasp. "Hinata-chan, Esdeath-chan; _stop fighting right now!_ We need to discuss things in private later. Now is not the time." Both young women saw the power glowing in his eyes and dropped their killing intent but they also each kept holding his hands in defiance against each other. Naruto sighed. "Hinata-chan, this is Partas Esdeath-chan. She's a new friend that we found in Snow County. Esdeath-chan; this is my dear friend Hyūga Hinata-chan that I've known since we were children. Please be kind to each other."

' _Hah! He called me his_ _ **dear**_ _friend hussy!_ ' thought Hinata. "It's nice to meet you Esdeath-san." ground out the indigo haired girl.

"It's nice to meet you too Hinata-san." replied Esdeath through gritted teeth. ' _You're just his_ _ **childhood**_ _friend bitch!_ '

Sakura sighed in relief. ' _Well, one potential disaster averted. Did Naruto finally get a clue?_ ' "Perhaps we should go on and report to the Hokage Tower."

"Good idea Sakura-chan." said Naruto.

"I'll just walk with you then since I'm headed in that direction anyway." said Hinata. (The last part was a total lie of course).

Soon Naruto was travelling along holding hands with both Esdeath and Hinata on either side of him with Sakura bringing up the rear. The rosette wanted to keep the two rivals glaring at each other in her line of sight in case another war broke out.

- _ROUND ONE: DRAW_ -

 **Hokage Tower**

Esdeath was shown into the Hokage's Office by Naruto and Sakura and was introduced to Tsunade. Being the responsible one Sakura said, "Team Kakashi reporting mission successful. Hokage-sama, allow me to introduce Esdeath-san of the Partas Clan. Esdeath-san, allow me to introduce the Fifth Hokage, Senju Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade nodded. "I welcome you to Konoha Esdeath-san. I've already been informed by letter of your medical status and Sakura will continue to take care of you as our guest."

Easdeath bowed slightly, "I thank you Hokage-sama."

"I have news of concern to you Esdeath-san." said Tsunade. Esdeath raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Two other Teigu users are here and wish to meet you. They are members of an organization called the Revolutionary Army and wish to speak with you. I have been assured by them that they will not be hostile towards you and I expect you to do the same. I've arranged this meeting to take place in three days and they are not aware that you are in Konoha so you do have the choice of leaving if you wish."

Esdeath's eyes narrowed, "Who are they an what is it they wish to discuss?"

Tsunade looked directly into Esdeath's eyes and said, "Their names are Akame and Leone. This matter is between you and them. Konoha is a neutral party in this matter but know that Konoha is safe ground. You are not allowed to attack them and vice-versa. If you can't abide by this then you will be sped on your way now."

Esdeath was a bit shocked at Tsunade's terms but it had been explained to her that the Hokage was the supreme commander of this village so her word is law. She briefly considered leaving but then thought about Naruto and immediately decided to stay. "Very well Hokage-sama, I accept your terms."

- _ROUND TWO: FIGHT!-_

After their business was done with the Hokage Esdeath came out and was rather relieved that she didn't have to face off with Akame just yet. Leone she didn't know well but Akame of Night Raid was a formidable opponent even by Esdeath's high standards. The light blue haired young woman wasn't too prideful to admit Akame could kill her in her current state. Esdeath didn't know what Akame could want and Tsunade indicated it was business between her and Night Raid with Konoha being a neutral party. However, she had Naruto-kun….

As they came out of the Hokage's office Esdeath's face grew irritated that Hinata was sitting there waiting for them. Hinata immediately latched on to Naruto's right arm again and said happily, "Naruto-kun; let's go to Ichirakus Ramen and celebrate that your new arm works so well. I'll treat you to _all you can_ eat because it's a special occasion."

Naruto had stars in his eyes and he said "Really Hinata-chan?!" At her eager nod he said, "You're the best Hinata-chan! I've missed Ichirakus so much!"

" _Where_ are we going?" asked Esdeath.

Sakura said, "You and I are going to Konoha Hospital for your full checkup Esdeath-san. Our equipment here in Konoha is far superior to the stuff in Snow Country."

Esdeath asked, "But what about Naruto-kun?"

Hinata smiled evilly at Esdeath and said "Naruto-kun and I are going to have dinner together while you get your shots."

Easdeath growled under her breath, "Damn that girl…." As Hinata gleefully led Naruto out of the Hokage Tower smiling all the way to Ichirakus.

- _ROUND TWO: HINATA; WINNER!-_

 **Konoha Hospital, Two days later**

- _ROUND THREE: FIGHT!-_

Esdeath hadn't been idle the two days she was getting probed and examined by Konoha's medics. Sakura and Shizune were very thorough and very professional and Esdeath was soon doing more strenuous exercises. She'd also learned that Hyūga Hinata was sort of a village princess and decided she should have an advantage against some pampered noble. That's when someone she wanted to see came in to see her for his daily visit. "Naruto-kun! I'm so glad to see you." said Esdeath happily. "I just finished my morning checkup. Can you take me on a tour of your village?" she asked hopefully.

Sure thing Esdeath-chan." said the blonde. "I'd be happy to show you around Konoha."

Hinata tracked down Naruto just in time to see him walking out of the hospital outpatient area with Esdeath on his arm. She wanted _so badly_ to run over Esdeath and snatch Naruto-kun away but it was painfully obvious that Naruto-kun was showing Esdeath around Konoha. She saw Esdeath meet her eye and glared as the light blue haired woman stuck out her tongue at Hinata. ' _You may have won this battle hussy but I'll win the war for Naruto-kun's heart!_ '

The Hyūga heiress stalked away and decided to indulge in some cinnamon buns to drown her sorrows….

"There will be a reckoning…." she muttered quietly to herself.

- _ROUND THREE: ESDEATH; WINNER!_ -

 **Meeting Room, Hokage Tower**

The next day Akame and Leone were invited by Tsunade to the Hokage Tower for their meeting with Esdeath. They were both a bit nervous but at the same time very determined. They were escort once again by Team Kurenai and the mention of Esdeath's name put Hinata in a bad mood for some reason or other. Two ANBU greeted them and to their surprise didn't insist on taking their Teigu when they were allowed to enter the meeting room. Akame entered first and Leone was right behind her. There was an ANBU in each corner of the room. At the same time a door on the opposite side opened and Esdeath stepped in wearing her General's regalia. For some reason Esdeath looked tired to the two members of Night Raid. Nevertheless her blue eyes were set hard as steel.

Esdeath said, "So, two members of Night Raid have sailed from our home continent to see me. The Hokage informed me you wanted to talk. I am listening."

Leone glared but Akame remained impassive. "We were sent here by former Imperial General Najenda on a mission." said Akame.

Esdeath's eyes widened slightly. ' _Najenda must want to pay me back for that arm and eye that I took_ ….' thought Esdeath.

Akame continued. "Najenda has asked us to extend an invitation to you to join the Revolutionary Army. The Prime Minister is as much your enemy as he is ours now. Commander Najenda believes that you would be a huge asset to our forces. We were sent to free you from the _Amulet of Souls_ with this." Akame held out the ornate key Najenda gave her. "However it seems you've already managed to free yourself from it." She set the key on the table and slid it over to Esdeath to examine.

The light blue haired General picked up the key and examined it carefully. After a few minutes Esdeath said, "Very well, I believe you. I was freed only recently by some powerful ninjas of this village. I planned to recover physically and return to the Empire and destroy it with my own hands but if Najenda wants my help then I will gladly give it to her. I will need time to get back to full combat strength though."

Leone said angrily, "Just how _much_ time a how weak are you?"

Esdeath blasted Leone with killing intent that made chills run up and down the blonde woman's spine. Esdeath's blue eyes flashed. " ** _I AM_** ** _NOT_** ** _WEAK_**. But two years of being locked in a cell with that soul sucking amulet hung around my neck have put me in a state that I need to work myself back up to my full potential. There is _no one_ on this earth that wants this to happen faster than **_I_** do so don't tell me you are in a greater hurry than I am. I want to personally _level_ the Imperial Capital and freeze Honest alive for what he did to me. I will join the Revolutionary Army and help lead them to _victory!_ "

Leone was shocked into silence by the sheer passion of Esdeath's declaration.

A moment later Akame said, "It seems that Najenda's faith in you was justified. I no longer have any doubts. Leone, what do you think?"

The blonde woman asked in a hollow voice, "Esdeath, what happened to Tatsumi? Did you kill him?"

Esdeath got a pained look on her face. "I begged him to join me. Honest ordered him beheaded before my very eyes and I….I had nightmares of losing him for months while I was in that cell all alone. I….loved him. My own heart has only recently begun to heal since I was freed…."

The pain in Esdeath's voice was enough for Leone. The cat like woman said, "I wanted to kill you to avenge Tatsumi but I guess it was Honest all along. I truly hate you for all you've done but I guess we are allies now. If Najenda can forgive you for maiming her so then I guess I will have to as well."

"Then we are allies?" Akame asked the former General.

"Yes." said the light blue haired woman. "I, Esdeath of the Partas Clan swear to help the Revolutionary Army destroy the Thousand Year Empire and Honest with it."

Akame nodded. "Najenda will be happy to hear this. We need to help you recover and return home as soon as possible."

"I agree." said Esdeath. "However I believe that having the ninjas as our allies would be a tremendous help against the Empire. I propose we try to form an alliance with them while we are here."

Leone's eyes widened. "Do you think that's possible?"

Esdeath nodded. "If the ninjas were to see the atrocities committed in the name of the Empire I believe they would be willing to help us. Even a battalion of them would help as many of them are as powerful as Teigu users unarmed."

"That's quite a proposal Esdeath." said Akame gravely. "Let's concentrate on restoring your power first and negotiate with our ninja friends later."

The three women all nodded in agreement and the meeting was concluded.

 **Hashirama Lane, Konoha Market District**

- _ROUND FOUR: FIGHT_ -

It had been two weeks and many informal dates with either Hinata or Esdeath and the confused and confounded Naruto was traveling along wondering what the two girls were up to now. He felt like they were playing 'capture the flag' and that he was the flag. He was talking to his furry partner as he walked along in the late afternoon. ' _I don't know what to do Kurama. Since I've been spending more time with both Esdeath-chan and Hinata-chan I really like them both a lot more. They are both fun to be around and are always nice to me but I think they hate each other. They seem curious about each other but not in a good way. What should I do? I guess I could ask Sakura-chan or Tsunade baa-chan for advice_.'

" ** _Well, you probably need to decide which one you like better. They both have their strong points and both seem very sincere about wanting to be with you_**." said Kurama.

Naruto sighed. ' _I just wish I'd felt real love before. I don't really understand what it's like to be loved and I realize now that my crush on Sakura-chan was just a crush. I'm going in blind here. Maybe I should ask Sai for help on stuff. He has a lot of books on relationships_.'

Kurama cringed when he thought of the pale faced boy's ' _advice_ ' he would give. " ** _I think you'd be better off looking at the Konoha library and looking up some relationship books there_**."

' _I have bad memories about the library_.' said Naruto dullly.

" ** _The old librarian hated you because of me Naruto_**." said Kurama somberly. " ** _That was years ago. You're a hero and accepted now. Just go. It will be fine; trust me_**."

' _I guess you're right Kurama. Old habits die hard_.' thought the blonde to his partner. ' _I'll just -We're being watched_!' Naruto felt his danger senses going off as he looked around.

All he saw around him were civilians; all of them women. Actually all of them were young women around his age group….They were eyeing him hungrily like a pack of wolves around a big, juicy steak. Naruto began to worry….

One girl brown haired came up to him and said, "You're Uzumaki Naruto-kun…." she blushed and giggled. "Do you have a girlfriend…?"

" ** _Danger Naruto! This girl's in heat or something! I can smell the hormones in here!"_** warned Kurama.

Naruto found himself being slowly encircled by young females with hearts in their eyes. ' _What is this? Is it a new doujutstu?_ ' he thought in fear.

"I heard Naruto-kun is still on the market." said a tall girl.

"I've looked into it. He doesn't have a girlfriend." said a shorter black haired girl. Then she added lustfully, "I heard Naruto-kun is hung like a horse!"

Naruto felt the girls collective intent to have their way with him growing and he said in a high and squeaky voice, "Well, I've got to run!" and he leapt over the circle of girls to dash into the sunset much like Jiraiya used to when he was caught peeping at bath houses.

" _GET HIM!"_ screamed the mob of fan girls as one.

Naruto screamed girlishly as he poured on the speed….

- _ROUND FOUR: THE EVIL HORDE OF FAN GIRLS TAG TEAM; WINNERS!-_

 **The Inuzaka Compound**

Akame arrived at the Inuzuka compound looking for Leone. The last time she and Leone sparred with Team Kurenai; Kiba had been complaining that Leone was spending a lot of time over there hanging out with his Mother Tsume. Akame wasn't particularly worried about Leone's safety but she did want to keep track of her companion just in case. Truthfully Akame believed that Esdeath did want to join the Revolutionary Army but she also was concerned that Leone might try to _accidentally_ slay Esdeath consequences be damned.

At any rate Akame knocked on the front door hoping Kiba would be there to at least inform her if Leone was there. Instead she was greeted by an attractive young woman the obviously was an Inuzuka judging by her fang tattoos. The young woman said, "Hello, you must be Akame-san. You really _do_ look like Kurenai. I thought the runt was just blowing smoke when he said that."

The black haired assassin raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes, I am Akame. Who is this runt you're talking about?"

The young woman chuckled. "Sorry, I was talking about my little brother Kiba. I'm Inuzuka Hana, heiress to the Inuzuka Clan. What can I do for you? If you're looking for Kiba he's out with Akamaru."

Akame sighed, "Actually I was hoping my comrade Leone was here Hana-san. Kiba-san said she comes over here a lot to talk to his Mother."

Hana shook her head. "Your friend and my Mother Tsume went out about an hour ago to go drinking since we were out of cooking sherry. Let me get my gear on and I'll help you track her down."

The red eyed girl nodded appreciatively. "I thank you for your help."

Ten minutes later Hana came out in her chunin gear and sniffed around delicately. Turning to Akame she said, "I've got Mom and your friend's scent. Let's go."

 **Konoha, Number Eight Sparring Ground**

- _ROUND FIVE: FIGHT!_ -

It was sunset Hinata and Esdeath were staring each other down at the number eight sparring ground. It had been two weeks that the girls had been snatching Naruto away from one another and both of them were sick to death of the competition. "Shouldn't you be recovering in a nice, safe hospital bed Jailbird-san? I mean you are rather under the weather from being locked up all this time." asked Hinata sarcastically as a tiger's image once again formed behind her.

"Shut up Princess." growled Esdeath. "I'm more than capable of taking a weakling like you out." The image of a dragon once again formed behind Esdeath.

"Is that so? I guess I won't have to hold back on you then hussy." snarled Hinata.

Esdeath roared, "Put your money where your mouth is bitch!" and lunged forward with a roundhouse kick.

Hinata assumed her juken stance and directed Esdeath's foot off target before she took the offensive. Realizing she was at a disadvantage in pure taijutsu Esdeath drew her rapier and the two young women clashed again and again. Esdeath launched a spear of ice at Hinata but the Hyūga heiress destroyed it with her twin lion fists. The light blue haired woman then upped the ante by sending a wall of ice but Hinata countered with a kaiten. When the indigo haired girl stopped spinning from her jutsu Esdeath gave up any pretense of grace and tackled Hinata to the ground causing the two beauties to roll end over end as they cursed each other out.

"Bitch!" shrieked Esdeath.

"Whore!" screeched Hinata.

By this time both of them were getting pretty mangled as they ruthlessly pummeled each other as they brawled in the dirt. Esdeath finally kicked Hinata back off of her to get some space when they saw Naruto go tearing by in an orange streak with a horde of lust filled fan girls scrambling after him screaming things like, "Capture him!" "Give me your babies Naruto-sama!" and "He's mine! Don't let him get away!"

Hinata and Esdeath glared hard at each other and Hinata asked, "Truce?" from her standing position.

Easdeath got up slowly and answered, "We will form an alliance to stop those little sluts from raping Naruto-kun!"

The two young women shook hands (each trying to crush the other's hand in the process) and then took off after the evil horde.

- _ROUND FIVE: DRAW_ -

 **Konoha, Market District**

- _ROUND SIX: FIGHT!-_

Hinata and Easdeath quickly started pursuing the fan girls and intercepted them on a side street. "You little bimbos had better back off now and leave Naruto-kun alone!" declared Hinata.

Esdeath growled, "You'd better start running in the _opposite_ direction or the two of us are going to crush you like insects!"

The fan girls came to a screeching halt at the killing intent of the two blue haired young women until one of them yelled shrilly, "You and what army? There's two of you and fifty of us! Hahaha! You don't stand a chance in hell!"

"Actually, I count only forty-seven of you." said Hinata calmly.

The fan girls self appointed leader paused and then said "So what?!"

"That means you are badly outnumbered by the two of us…." said Esdeath.

"Get them girls!" shrieked a member of the mob. The fan girls charged at Hinata and Easdeath full force only for it to turn into an epic route as the two blue haired young women started kicking their collective asses. Girls were screaming in terror as fabric ripped and bodies flew in every direction.

Male bystanders were cheering and yelling things like "Tear off her shirt!" "Girl fight!" and "Thank you kami for letting me see this!"

In the end the evil horde of fan girls lay unconscious and beaten in the street and Esdeath and Hinata stood triumphant as they surveyed their work. "You aren't half bad Esdeath-san." said Hinata with grudging respect.

"You aren't too bad yourself Hinata-san." replied Esdeath in the same tone of voice. "We need to find Naruto-kun and make sure he's all right."

"Leave that to me." said Hinata as she activated her byakugan. "The byakugan sees all."

- _ROUND SIX: EASDETH & HINATA TAG TEAM; WINNERS!-_

 **Konoha, Entertainment District**

 _-ROUND SEVEN: FIGHT!-_

Esdeath and Hinata were battered and bruised more from fighting each other than the useless fan girls. Their uneasy alliance against fan girls was basically intact. They had at least come to view each other grudgingly as worthy opponents. Hinata used her byakugan to track down Naruto and found him in a popular bar mainly for ninjas called _The Calamity Bar_. She was surprised to see him there given she had never known Naruto to drink….

 _Inside the Calamity Bar…._

Naruto had downed so much sake that even with Kurama metabolizing the stuff he had a slight buzz going on. On his left side was a drunken Inuzuka Tsume who was encouraging Naruto to pack away as many drinks as he could and Leone on his right who was already tanked from drinking too much with Tsume. Naruto was trying to drink the _horror_ of fan girls off his mind….

Tsume said, "I tell you Leone, I think you'd make of good match for my boy Kiba. He's a little wet behind the ears but he needs a good strong mate to take care of him."

Leone laughed. "Kiba is pretty funny. (Snort) We'd be at it like _cats and dogs!_ " she said laughing at her own bad joke. "Buy me a drink pal of mine!" the cat like blonde woman said to Naruto as she threw an arm over his shoulders.

Naruto shrugged her off and said, "Buy your own drinks; I'm trying to drown myself here." ' _Why isn't this working?! I thought after ten bottles of sake you were supposed to be comatose_ ….'

"Awww, you're no fun!" said Leone with a pout. "Buy your Onee-chan some booze."

Naruto ignored Leone and Tsume said, "What's wrong Uzumaki-kun, having a bad night?"

" _Fan girls_ …." Naruto answered with a shiver. "They _attacked_ me en masse and I had to run…."

"Bwahaha!" bellowed Tsume. "One of the strongest ninjas on the continent and you are afraid of a few fan girls?"

Naruto sweat dropped and Leone laughed.

About that time Esdeath and Hinata came in to the _Calamity Bar_ a scoped out where Naruto was sitting. "There is Naruto-kun sitting with Tsume-san and Leone-san at the bar." said Hinata.

Esdeath came up and glared at Leone making the blonde woman flinch and recoil. She turned to Naruto and said, "Naruto-kun; come sit in a quiet corner with Hinata-san and I. Those fan girls are gone."

"Yes, we dealt with them and chased them off Naruto-kun." added Hinata.

The slightly inebriated Naruto said, "You girls are the best! Thank you so much Hinata-chan, Esdeath-chan." The two girls took him towards the far corner of the bar and they sat down together at the wooden table there.

A waitress soon brought them their drinks and Hinata took a sip. She immediately blushed at the strength of the drink. Esdeath said, "Hah! It would be just like you to not be able to handle your liquor."

Hinata's eyes narrowed and she quickly slammed the rest of her drink. "Want to make a bet on that Esdeath- _chan?_ "

Esdeath growled and said, "I'll drink you under the table Hinata- _chan!_ "

"Bring it on!" said the Hyūga heiress.

"I will!" answered the light blue haired woman.

….Two hours later both Hinata and Esdeath were staring at each other with bleary, bloodshot eyes. "Ready to give in X-ray eyes?" slurred Esdeath.

"No way in hell psycho bitch." retorted Hinata drunkenly. Then she slurred, "Naruto-kun, you are not drinking enough!"

By this time Naruto had lost count of how many bottles he'd drank and was watching as the two girls teetered in their seats and prepared themselves for another round….

' _I'm nearly at my limit, I can't lose to her….not in front of Naruto-kun_ ….' thought both young women as they each shakily reached for their next bottle of sake.

About that time a chunin came flying into the table they were at and took out the girl's drinks as he slid across the table and bowled over Naruto. Both girls yelled, " _Naruto-kun!_ "

"Take that you son of a bitch!" yelled a wasted Tsume from across the room. "You thought you and your friends could cop a feel eh?!" Several ninjas were already up in combat stances when Tsume said, "Come on Leone! Let's kick their asses!"

Everything exploded at once as a dozen drunken ninjas flew into a brawl and the barkeep screamed " _No jutsus!_ _NO JUTSUS!_ " The last thing Naruto saw before he blacked out was Hinata and Esdeath pulling the downed chunin off of him….

 _Hours later_ ….

The _Calamity Bar_ was nothing but a pile of wreckage as Akame dragged yet another piece of roof off of the pile and finally unburied the unconscious Leone and Tsume. The black haired assassin looked at her companion in this endeavor and said, "You were absolutely right Hana-san. You Inuzukas are amazingly talented at tracking."

Hana shrugged. "Believe me; tracking my _own Mother's_ scent wasn't that hard and I figured Leone-san was with her from the cat smell."

"Still, I'd have never found them in this mess." replied Akame as she dragged Leone out of the wreckage with Hana's help.

About twenty minutes later the comatose Tsume and Leone were clear off the wreckage and Hana was checking them over. Hana was a vet but she knew enough medical jutsus to give the two drunken women a diagnosis. Rolling her eyes she said, "Other than some bumps and bruises the two of them are just stone drunk. They'll just have to sleep off their hangovers. The gods only know what happened in there. Looks like _The Calamity_ will have to be rebuilt _again_."

" _Again?"_ asked Akame. "You mean this has happened before?"

Hana nodded and said, "Yep. It happens around three times a year. Last time a fire jutsu set off all the alcohol and blew the place to hell. That's why the ANBU are simply guarding and letting us and the others dig out our own friends and relatives. For _The_ _Calamity_ this is a pretty minor incident."

"Shouldn't _someone_ be held responsible?" asked Akame with confusion in her red eyes.

"When you get that many ninjas drinking that liberally in an enclosed space something is bound to go wrong." explained Hana. "Unless a dead body turns up amongst the wreckage no one really cares."

ANBU Cat sauntered up. "Are those two alive Hana-chan?" she asked.

Hana nodded. "They'll be just fine after they get over their hangovers."

Cat checked Leone and Tsume's names off her list that was divided up into 'alive,' 'dead,' and 'missing.' So far no one was 'dead' so things were going well from Cat's point of view. "Alright, take them home if they don't need to go to the hospital." said the sword wielding ANBU to Hana.

"Let's get them out of here Akame-san." said Hana a she none to gently hoisted her Mother over her shoulder. Akame picked up Leone in a fireman's carry and nodded. "Follow me and we'll let your friend Leone crash at the Inuzuka Compound." The two young women and their passengers departed shortly thereafter….

 **Location unknown** ….

Naruto awoke in the early morning. Kurama's presence had burned all the booze out of his system so he didn't have any sort of hangover. He actually felt very warm and amazingly comfy on the soft bed he was laying on with the warm soft pillows and blankets. He looked up from his position flat on his back and figured by the light coming in through the curtains that it was early morning. ' _Where the hell am I?_ ' he wondered. He looked at the ceiling fan spinning lazily above him and saw some white lacy panties and a lacy lavender bra hanging off two of the ceiling fan blades. He started to sweat and wondered what happened last night.

One of his warm pillows on top of him shifted and muttered, "….Naruto-kun…." in Hinata's soft voice.

Naruto's eyes were big as saucers as he looked down and saw Hinata-chan's mop of indigo hair snuggling into his chest. ' _Th-those aren't pillows!_ ' he thought in a state of panic. That's when he realized he was naked as the day he was born….

Then he noticed a light blue mop of hair on his other side which sighed in Esdeath's deeper tone of voice. She shifted and coiled her leg around Naruto's before she made a pleased hum and fell gently back into her slumber.

Feeling all those amazingly soft curves of two beautiful women made Naruto get an erection that was harder than steel and he got a massive nosebleed as he wondered just what the hell happened last night.

Kurama's voice echoed within his mindscape. " ** _Well, you may not remember but it was one hell of a show from my point of view. With your hijutsu techniques you kept those two girls going strong all night long. If it wasn't for that ridiculous Uzumaki stamina of yours they'd have probably screwed you into a coma_**."

' _Oh. My. God_.' thought Naruto before he fainted from shock and blood loss.

- _ROUND SEVEN: TRIPLE K.O_.-

POSTSCRIPT:

For any of those that think Hinata was too out of character this chapter, remember this is the love of her life she's fighting for. Well, any chance that Naruto is oblivious to the girls in this situation has been completely blown out of the water. The question is; what will Hinata and Esdeath do when they wake up and find themselves buck naked in the same bed? Will Naruto survive the possible conflict or will he actually be able to mediate the situation?

On another front, Esdeath wants to form an alliance with the ninjas and has a tentative agreement with the members of Night Raid to do so. Will this idea bear fruit? See you next time (whenever that is). Blue out. 12/17/15


	6. Chapter 6

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

 _I once again want to thank_ _ **Lord Farsight**_ _for his input. It really helped make this chapter possible. Okay, given the overwhelming demand for it here is the lemon flashback everyone has been asking for. A word of warning though; lemons really aren't my forte so if it seems rather pedestrian or just plain bad please refrain from casting rocks, bricks and hand grenades through the windows of my home. I was originally going to leave the lemon things to people's imaginations but I decided to give it a whirl. I now present to you chapter 6:_

Last time:

 _He looked at the ceiling fan spinning lazily above him and saw some white lacy panties and a lacy lavender bra hanging off two of the ceiling fan blades. He started to sweat and wondered what happened last night._

 _One of his warm pillows on top of him shifted and muttered, "….Naruto-kun…." in Hinata's soft voice._

 _Naruto's eyes were big as saucers as he looked down and saw Hinata-chan's mop of indigo hair snuggling into his chest. '_ _Th-those aren't pillows!_ _' he thought in a state of panic. That's when he realized he was naked as the day he was born…._

 _Then he noticed a light blue mop of hair on his other side which sighed in Esdeath's deeper tone of voice. She shifted and coiled her leg around Naruto's before she made a pleased hum and fell gently back into her slumber._

 _Feeling all those amazingly soft curves of two beautiful women made Naruto get an erection that was harder than steel and he got a massive nosebleed as he wondered just what the hell happened last night._

 _Kurama's voice echoed within his mindscape. "_ _ **Well, you may not remember but it was one hell of a show from my point of view. With your hijutsu techniques you kept those two girls going strong all night long. If it wasn't for that ridiculous Uzumaki stamina of yours they'd have probably screwed you into a coma**_ _._ _"_

 _'_ _Oh. My. God_ _.' thought Naruto before he fainted from shock and blood loss._

Chapter 6

 **Konoha, the** ** _Redwood Hotel_**

Esdeath shifted and coiled her leg around Naruto's before she made a pleased hum and gently fell back into her slumber….

 _Flashback…._

 _Esdeath was on top of her lover Naruto-kun. She saw the love in his eyes and he was running his wonderful hands all over her as he laid back with his head propped up on the pillows as he used his hijutsu on her glorious body once more. He was grinning hungrily and she was straddling him. She had nothing but a smile and her Generals' cap on as he stroked between her thighs and all over her gorgeous breasts. Esdeath felt as if their souls were touching. She braced herself and gripped the headboard with her hands tightly as he placed his chakra charged hands on her and gripped her ass so she would ride him once again. She sighed and let out a deep mewl of passion as she mounted him and he slowly buried himself to the hilt in her moist sheath. Feeling he was completely engulfed in her wet heat she lowered her head down and the two kissed and licked each other hotly as she began the slowly ride him._

 _Naruto started meeting her thrusts as he increased the pace. Esdeath continued to mewl and pant in time with their thrusting as their flesh pounded together. She felt an incredible heat rising in her body as Naruto thumbed her nipples and ran his hands teasingly over her breasts and ribs. Her emotions were reaching a crescendo as he kept caressing her body with hot chakra and he continued to pound into her faster and faster. She threw her head back and moaned his name repeatedly as he started suckling and licking on her firm breasts. Esdeath was losing her sanity as he ran chakra through his heated shaft into her waiting folds while tantalizing her entire body with his magical hands._

 _She felt her orgasm rip through her soul as she lowered herself to ride him harder. The incredible friction between their bodies made her insatiable and she had to have more. They were locked together in a frenzy as another climax hit her and she screamed into his mouth as they kissed. She could feel the heat of her release had drenched them both and Naruto flipped her onto her back with her legs in the air. The blonde ninja pinned her to the bed again and set her afire with scorching kisses all over her neck and jaw line and he finally engulfed her mouth with his own leaving a sticky trail of saliva between their mouths. She mewled for more and Naruto didn't hold back as he stared into her love filled eyes._

 _Naruto sat up and began to piston rapidly into Esdeath as her mewling and moaning got higher and higher pitched. The intensity of her love for him overflowed and she finally threw her head back in passion as she soaked him with her release again and he finally released his essence deep inside her waiting body. Esdeath gave her lover an enormous smile as she locked her legs around him and felt him fill her body with his love. He leaned back down and they started kissing each other more romantically as they breathed heavily from their mutual orgasm. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face as he gently started kissing her neck and she moaned out softly "….I love you Naruto-kun…."_

 _That was the_ _ **third time**_ _he'd taken her down in her fuzzy memories….she'd fallen asleep in his loving arms shortly afterwards. Esdeath had been too physically spent to stay awake…._

 _Flashback end…._

Hinata snuggled into Naruto's chest and muttered, "….Naruto-kun…." in her soft voice….

 _Flashback…._

 _Hinata was laying her stomach with her perfect ass slightly elevated to give Naruto a magnificent view. She'd never felt so sexy and so wanted in her life! It was so liberating! All she had left on was her unbuttoned white top that Naruto had undone with magic fingers. As she looked over her shoulder at Naruto who was smiling eagerly at her as he used his hijutstu techniques on her calves and thighs sending electric jolts of chakra though her body. Hinata really didn't know when she'd lost her soaked panties and she herself had thrown her bra off so Naruto-kun could worship her luscious mounds with his mouth and tongue and pleasured her folds with his heated chakra the last time they rutted. She felt so much love from him. Hinata said in a sultry voice, "Come to me. I have what you need Naruto-kun…."_

 _The Hyūga heiress smiled from ear to ear as Naruto pulled her up on all fours and took her from behind. She groaned in pleasure as he stretched her tight sheath once again. Her emotions went haywire as he filled her body perfectly. They were made for each other! Naruto slowly started thrusting in and out of her body until she screamed for him to go faster. He put his hands on her hips and drove into her hard as her arms gave out. Hinata buried her face in the sweaty sheets as she let out a lust filled moan of her first orgasm this time around. She felt Naruto's electric hands teasing her back and shoulders before he moved them erotically down to her sides and her toned stomach. His feather light touches were both tantalizing and soothing at the same time._

 _He finally reached under her and started to play with her beautiful, firm breasts once move. Her body shook as she arched her back and he lifted her up where she was on her knees. She reached over her shoulder and they kissed one another in heated passion. She could feel the electrifying power of the love passing between them as their tongues dueled. He slid his erect member deep into her body again and she let out a throaty moan of pleasure as he pulled her arms back. Naruto finally removed her sweat filled shirt that was a barrier between her skin and his. She felt his chest rub against her back as his hands continued to roam her body leaving hot trails of excited flesh wherever they touched. She gave him another sensual, fiery kiss over her shoulder again before she grabbed his right hand in hers and started sucking on his index finger as she started to ride him passionately._

 _Feeling the sensations of her wet backside sliding against his front Hinata arched her back again as she saw stars with her next orgasm. She couldn't tell where she ended and Naruto began. Hinata was so wound up she didn't want to stop and threw her body back into Naruto's forcefully so he was lying on his back. Hinata smiled hungrily as she spun herself around and remounted her lover. She felt Naruto's hot hands on her hips as she stared down at him with a lust filled look in her pearl like lavender eyes. Hinata put her arms behind herself for support and leaned back as she rode his full length as if her life depended upon it. She had her head thrown back and was panting loudly and she and Naruto's bodies became one again and again. Finally Naruto erupted deep inside of her and that sparked off her third orgasm which made her scream how much she loved him in passion…._

 _Hinata remembered laying down on top of her lover as their hearts slowed down and their breathing slowly returned to a normal pace….Hinata was_ _ **completely**_ _satiated both physically and emotionally…. ._

 _Flashback end…._

Both blue haired beauties woke up within seconds of each other and felt hot, sweaty, sticky and sore from the previous night's activities. The scent of sweat and sex heavily permeated the air. The warmth they felt of the emotional afterglow was wonderful though. Hinata lazily opened her lavender eyes and knew she was going to be limping from being so thoroughly oversexed last night….not that she minded. Her thoughts were filled with all the love and pleasure that she and her Naruto-kun had shared. Hyūga Hinata hadn't ever felt so happy and fulfilled in her entire life. That was until she looked across Naruto's chest and saw Esdeath looking directly back at her from the opposite side of Naruto with a look of shock in her blue eyes….

Esdeath woke up feeling exhausted but completely content. The light blue haired beauty nearly moaned in sheer pleasure. Esdeath felt so much love for her Naruto-kun but she was _way_ too tender for another go round though. Naruto was a total animal in sack! The young blue eyed woman had experienced many things in her life but the sheer intensity of the passionate lovemaking with Naruto-kun last night blew everything else she'd ever felt out of the proverbial water. She just wanted to lay in her lover's arms and enjoy his warmth. That's when her blue eyes languidly drifted across Naruto's chest and saw Hinata's lavender eyes staring back at her….

The two young women seemed to stare at each other for ages before Esdeath whispered loudly, " _What_ are you doing here Hinata?"

Hinata frowned slightly and whispered back. "I could ask you the same thing! I brought _my_ Naruto-kun to the _Redwood Hotel_ last night after the fight and we rutted like _animals all night long_. _Why_ are you in bed with us?

"I think you're mistaken Hinata, _my_ Naruto-kun plowed _me_ like and wild beast in heat _all night long_." said Esdeath smugly. "You're the one that's in the wrong bed."

Naruto groaned slightly in his sleep and both girls made a shushing motion at each other so as not to wake Naruto up. That's when both of them noticed two things: One; they both were hung over and had splitting headaches that made them cringe. Two; both of them brushed against Naruto's morning wood when they lowered their hands and saw his member was standing fully at attention and ready for duty in the morning light. Their eyes widened and they both thought, ' _He did me with_ _ **that**_ _?! It's a wonder I didn't get ripped in half! No wonder I'm so sore. How can he_ _ **possibly**_ _be ready for another round?_ '

Reality hit Esdeath first and Hinata a second later. Esdeath said in a shocked whisper, "Hinata, I think he did us _both_ ….I….I can't think of any other explanation. Naruto-kun is a **_sex machine!_** "

Hinata cringed at her head's throbbing as the memories started to return from last night….

 _Flashback…._

 _Hinata and Esdeath dragged Naruto out of the_ _Calamity Bar_ _as the fight got out of control. Naruto was knocked out when the chunin head-butted him into the wall. Both girls had angrily kicked the chunin in his privates for a measure of revenge before they stumbled out into the streets pulling Naruto along with them. The blonde ninja groaned and said, "Bed…." as he rubbed his sore noggin._

 _Both girls gut reaction was to take Naruto home to his apartment but then they got to drunkenly talking to each other. Neither one of them knew where Naruto's apartment keys were. They couldn't find them on him. Both young women adamantly refused to leave him alone in the care of the other. "We can't take him back to my place; Otou-sama would have a heart attack!" slurred out Hinata._

 _Esdeath blinked and said slowly as she wobbled, "Well the place I'm staying in hardly has room for one person; let alone two! We can't leave him on his doorstep. One of those fan girls might rape him in his sleep!"_

 _"_ _Yes you're right." said Hinata drunkenly. "We must protect Naruto-kun from those harpies." Activating her byakugan her eyes zoomed in on the most luxurious hotel in town,_ _The Redwood_ _. We'll take him there. I can pay with the Hyūga credit account and he'll get a good night's sleep…."_

 _Esdeath wobbly led the way into the lobby of_ _The Redwood_ _and immediately demanded the most luxurious room they had in the place. The manager was very hesitant to let three_ _ **very**_ _drunk young people take the honeymoon suite. It was obvious that they weren't fully in control of their facilities. However; when Hinata slapped her Hyūga platinum credit card down in front of him and said, "Do it!" the manager got ryo signs in his eyes and graciously had the staff treat them like royalty…._

 _Both girls remembered Naruto wearing them out and then hearing the moans, pants and screams of passion from the other young woman while they recuperated for the next go round. Naruto banged them both senseless as they took turns on him all last night…._

 _Flashback End…._

"I can't believe I lost my virginity while another woman was in the same bed with me…." groaned Esdeath.

Hinata lamented, "I feel the same way….What are we going to do now? I'm too sore and my head hurts too much to fight about this right now."

Naruto unconsciously snuggled both young women and the two girls decided they were both _very_ comfortable in his arms. "We'll talk about it later….I, I just want to sleep." said Esdeath.

With that unspoken agreement both blue haired beauties fell back to sleep in their lover's embrace and soon were dreaming peacefully….

 **The Inuzuka Compound**

"Ugggh, oooow….ow, ow, ow…." moaned Leone as she awoke from her alcohol induced coma. Her head was pounding and she awoke to see Akame staring at her with a deadpan look on her face and emotionless red eyes.

"I see you've risen from the dead once again Leone." said the black haired assassin in a flat tone. "It took half the night to unbury you and Tsume-san from the wreckage of that bar you helped collapse. If it wasn't for Kiba-san's sister Hana-san partnering up with me you'd probably still be buried alive."

"I'll have to thank her later." mumbled Leone. "Please don't talk so loud. I wish there was a universal hangover cure." lamented the cat like blonde in a quiet voice.

"There is." stated Akame. "Don't drink yourself sick and you won't have a hangover."

Leone face palmed. "That's no fun….Isn't Kiba's sister some kind of medic? Surely there's some magic ninja cure for hangovers."

Akame stared unsympathetically for a few moments and said, "I'll ask Hana-san." Akame quietly walked out into the hall and heard Tsume retching violently in the bathroom as she walked by. When she came into the front room she saw Kiba cringing at the sounds his Mother was making while Hana was sitting there with a self satisfied smirk on her face. Akame did her best to tune out the noise of Tsume praising the toilet gods and said, "Good morning to you Hana-san, Kiba-san. It seems my friend Leone has awakened from her coma and she wants to know if you know of a universal hangover cure. I realize you're a veterinarian and not a doctor but that's more than good enough for the likes of Leone….especially given she should have been arrested last night. Do you have a rabies shot you can give her and just _say_ it will cure her hangover?"

Hana chuckled and Kiba just winced at a particularly violent sound coming from Tsume. He said, "Akame, Mom's _suffering_ from Hana nee-chan's universal hangover cure right now. I think it's something she picked up from her friend Anko over in Torture and Interrogation."

Hana smiled meanly. "Actually it's an old wives tale remedy called a Prairie Oyster Cocktail. It's made from raw egg yolk, Worcester sauce, Tabasco sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. I also add hot mustard and the hottest jalapeño pepper I can find for that special touch." Tsume groaned loudly in the background before she started violently hurling again. "As you can tell by the sounds Mom is making it's quite effective at making one forget their hangover."

"Yeah, you forget all about the hangover because you are too worried that you're going to _die_." said Kiba visibly cringing.

"Hey, it worked on you runt." said Hana. "I'm proud of you that you never drank irresponsibly again after Team Eight's drunken celebration of becoming chunin."

Kiba got a totally flat look. "I'd rather go through the Fourth Shinobi War all over than go through your 'hangover cure' again Hana nee-chan. Besides, Hinata-chan put away more booze than Shino and I combined. Why didn't you dose her with your _miracle cure_?"

Hana looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, truthfully she was only drinking due to peer pressure from what I could tell. Besides, I like her more than you and Shino. She was also more sober than you and Shino. Even Shino's destruction bugs were wasted. The poor little bastards were lying on their backs with their legs sticking up in the air. I mistook them for dead. So I gave you and Shino a little morning pick me up as punishment."

"You're so _cruel_ Hana nee-chan." whimpered Kiba.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me runt." chortled Hana.

"Can you show me how to make this Prairie Oyster Cocktail?" asked Akame. "It sounds like the perfect remedy to Leone's problem."

"I'm really beginning to like you Akame-chan!" said Hana brightly. "I'll show you how to make it to _cure_ your dear friend's hangover."

"Sadists…." muttered Kiba under him breath. Akamaru just whined in agreement.

….

An hour later Kiba had his gear on and was getting ready to go out to train. Tsume had vacated the bathroom and was laying face down in the floor by her bed praying for the shinigami to come and take her soul to put her out of her misery. Leone was currently in the bathroom Tsume vacated recently heaving her guts out. Akame was sitting in the back room with a minimalist smile on her face as Leone paid her dues for her outrageous behavior last night.

There was a knock at the door and Kiba answered it and saw Kurenai there. "Good morning Kiba-kun." said Kurenai. "Ready to train?"

"Good morning Kurenai-sensei." said Kiba. "Where's the baby?"

"I left little Mirai in Yamanaka Ino's care. You know Ino just adores her." said Kurenai with a grin. "Have the others arrived yet?"

"Shino should be here any minute because he always is here right on time but Hinata's running late." said Kiba. "It's odd because she always arrives first you know. Come on in and sit down sensei."

Kurenai heard the sounds of Leone's vomiting and Tsume's quiet groaning and said, "Let me guess; Prairie Oyster Cocktail?"

"Got it in one Kurenai-chan." said Hana as she came into the room with Akame behind her. "Oh, Kurenai, this is Akame and-"

"We've already been introduced in passing." said both red eyed women in unison. They both paused and then both said, "We've already met each other Hana."

Hana got a spooked look on her face as the two apparent relatives stared at each other in puzzlement. "You were right runt; Kurenai-chan and Akame-chan are so much alike it's haunting!"

"We really aren't related!" exclaimed both black haired beauties before they looked back at each other again.

Kiba grinned and said, "I told you nee-chan. I think they're long lost cousins or something."

The curious Inuzuka siblings were getting ready to compare the scents of Kurenai and Akame ' _just to be sure'_ when Shino knocked at the door. Kiba welcomed him in and after exchanging greetings with everyone he noted the absence of Leone and Hinata. That's when he heard Leone going through another round of dry heaves. Adjusting his glasses he said, "I see Leone is not going to be joining us today but what about Hinata? It's highly unusual for her to be late."

Kurenai said, "Why don't we just go over to the Hyūga Compound and ask? Maybe she got caught up in something."

 _They had absolutely_ _ **no**_ _idea what 'something' Hinata was 'caught up in'_ …. _And Hinata was blissfully sleeping with Naruto and Esdeath in the honeymoon suite of the swankiest hotel in the village_ ….

 **The Hokage Tower**

"So let me get this straight….Chunin Hyūga Hinata and one of our village guests Partas Esdeath thrashed the living hell out of forty seven young civilian women who were attempting to gang rape Genin Uzumaki Naruto?" said Tsunade with a face palm. "Is this report serious or some kind of joke ANBU Bear?" Bear cringed. The Hokage quickly turned to her assistant Shizune. She pointed a finger accusingly at the dark haired woman. "You see what happens when I show up at work _sober?!_ If I'd been completely tanked then this wouldn't have happened to my surrogate son Shizune! Gods! If he'd just had a responsible male role model growing up this never would have happened to Naruto. Instead he ends up with a perverted sensei name Hatake Kakashi and then apprentices under the biggest Super-Pervert in history; my teammate Jiraiya! Even Sarutobi-sensei read those damned Icha-Icha books and he looked up to the old man as a Grandfather figure! It's a small miracle Naruto-kun isn't a total pervert himself!"

 _Tsunade had no idea about Naruto's current situation at the_ _Redwood Hotel_ …. _good thing too_ ….

Tsunade took a deep breath to calm herself. "According to the report the forty seven girls were banged up but not seriously hurt so there would be no need to press charges although we _will_ need to ask questions to _all_ parties involved." Now that her small tirade was over Tsunade cleared her throat and said, "So where is the knucklehead and the two girls that are so obviously smitten with him?" She looked expectantly at her trembling squad of ANBU and all of them quivered in silence.

ANBU Crow broke under the pressure and said, "We have no idea where any of the three are! They completely fell off the map and we've looked _everywhere_ Tsunade-sama!"

"We do know they haven't left the Village Tsunade-sama." said ANBU Gecko supportively.

Tsunade's face fell into a stony expression and she said, "So in other words none of you have a god damned clue….Alright, so did _anything else_ happen last night that I need to informed about?"

Bear said, "Ummm, the _Calamity Bar_ was leveled in a massive drunken brawl Hokage-sama." while shaking in fear at the possible reaction from his boss.

"Was anyone killed or disabled permanently?" asked Tsunade.

"No ma'am!" answered all of her ANBU.

Tsunade shrugged, "Well, that's no big deal if no one died." She took a more chipper tone of voice. "Hell, that's nothing compared to it exploding last time! That's the first good news I've heard today." she said with a smile. Everyone in the room sweat dropped at Tsunade's reaction to the local bar being leveled….and possibly being bipolar….

Standing up, the busty Hokage said, "Alright my loyal ANBU. Be on the lookout for Genin Uzumaki Naruto, Chunin Hyūga Hinata and our guest Partas Esdeath. There aren't any charges but I would like to talk to the three of them personally."

 **The Hyūga Compound**

The Hyūga gate guards were very puzzled at Hinata's disappearing act and wondered what to do when Kurenai's Team (plus Hana and Akame) showed up at the gates to the compound asking for their Heiress. That's when Hanabi saw them and said, "Hello, are you looking for Hinata nee-chan too?"

"We were hoping she was here." said Akame and Kurenai in unison.

Hanabi took a step back and said "Whoa! I had had no idea that Kurenai-sensei and Akame-san were related. It's so obvious to me now that you're standing together. I can't believe I missed it." Both red eyed women face palmed identically. This was getting old….

Hana snickered and got identical glares from both 'relatives.'

Shino cleared his throat. "Actually we don't believe they are related Hanabi-san. When did you see Hinata last?"

Hanabi answered, "Late afternoon yesterday she said she was going to Training Ground Eight to ' _deal with a problem_ ' and never came home. She seemed really angry at the time. I hope she's okay." The concern in Hanabi's voice was evident.

"We'd best head to Training ground Eight then." said Kurenai.

"Can I help?" asked Hanabi earnestly. "I'm worried about nee-chan."

Kurenai smiled. "Sure Hanabi-chan; your eyes would be a big help. Make sure you get your Father's permission first."

 **The** ** _Redwood Hotel_**

Naruto quietly awoke and filtered through his memories. The trip from the bar was still a blur. (He vaguely remembered someone's head flying at him from across the table but that didn't make any sense). But he remembered **_everything_** once they got into the hotel room though. Naruto felt it must have been temporary insanity on his part that took over. What the hell was he thinking? But the girls were **_soooo_** hot and **_soooo_** sexy and **_soooo_** , **_soooo_** incredible and amazing! Naruto knew his perverted Godfather Jiraiya was probably up in the pure land crying tears of pride and joy that Naruto was now a Super-Pervert also. Naruto wanted to shed tears of shame but at the same time he felt so much love and joy in his heart at all the special and amazing things he'd shared with both Esdeath-chan and Hinata-chan last night….What should he do? That brought up the terrible thought of _'What would Ero-Sennin do in this situation?_ '

 **Scenario 1: The girls wake up and want to murder each other in cold blood.** Naruto's solution: He felt he would have to physically keep the girls from harming each other (probably with an army of shadow clones) and try to mediate the situation no matter what it takes. _Jiraiya's solution: Set it up as a naked mud wrestling match and sell tickets. Make a fortune off the betting and the whole spectacle. Use that cash to go cruise for other babes._

 **Scenario 2: The girls wake up and want Naruto to choose only one of them over the other**. Naruto's solution: His thoughts once again turned to trying to mediate the situation. This wasn't some sort of contest! They were both truly beautiful and special women and deserved what was best for them. _Jiraiya's solution: Milk it for all it's worth! Have these two luscious babes alternate every night and keep claiming you just can't decide between them. Even better, get them into a threesome!_

 **Scenario 3: When they wake up; the girls are both into it and want to have a threesome**. Naruto's solution: He really wasn't sure how he'd react in such a situation. He figured the first thing he'd do was pass out from a massive nose bleed. Hopefully after that there would be some sort of happily ever after. _Jiraiya's solution: Hey, if the girls are into a threesome, why not a foursome or moresome of hot babes pleasing him?! The more the merrier! Harem here I come!_

 **Scenario 4: When they awaken; both girls are knocked up and want him to marry them**. Naruto's solution: Somehow Naruto would have to take responsibility and be there for both of the girls and the children. His children wouldn't be without a Father like he was growing up. It would be hard but somehow Naruto would make things right. _Jiraiya's solution: Dive out the window and RUN LIKE HELL! Leave the fucking country! If they track you down in a court of law claim you're an innocent queer and those to brutish bitches forced themselves on you and you can't possibly be the Father!_

 _…_ _._

When he came out of his mental meanderings Naruto wanted to slap himself senseless at even _imagining_ Jiraiya's ' _solutions_.' The last one about becoming a missing nin and claiming he was gay made him want to wash his brain out with bleach.

Then the voice of reason (Also known as Kurama) chimed in. " ** _Well, what can I say Naruto? I guess the last of the alcohol must have filtered out of that tiny brain of yours and you can finally remember the events of last night. I don't have a clue how you're going to get out of this one alive. It was fun while it lasted_**."

' _Your words of support are so touching I could just shed a tear Kurama_.' replied Naruto sarcastically. ' _Help me here!_ _Just remember that if Hinata-chan and Esdeath-chan murder me I'll take you with me to whatever hell I end up in!_ '

" ** _Well,_** ** _somebody's_** ** _in a bad mood this morning_**." groused the fox spirit. " ** _Look on the bright side; you won't die a virgin like I originally predicted_**."

' _Now that was_ _totally_ _uncalled for_.' complained Naruto.

" ** _Are you saying it was a hit_** ** _below the belt_** ** _?"_** chortled Kurama. " ** _Are you feeling a little_** ** _testy_** ** _?!_** "

' _Arrrrgh! Please kami make it stop!_ ' said Naruto as he cringed at his furry partner's tasteless sense of humor this morning.

That's when he heard Hinata-chan's caring voice. "Naruto-kun, are you all right? You are acting like you are in pain."

Naruto opened his eyes and saw both girls were awake and looking at him with concern and love in their eyes. Both Esdeath's blue and Hinata's lavender eyes seemed to shine with care….

" ** _Looks like they are awake. See you on the other side!_** ' said Kurama as he hung up a sign in Naruto's mindscape that said ' _Closed for Lunch_.' The last sight Naruto saw was the giant fox strapping on a parachute as he dived out of a cargo door in Naruto's mindscape that previously didn't exist.

' _Damn you giant furball! You'll pay for this mischief in this world or the next!_ ' roared Naruto impotently inside his mindscape.

"Naruto-kun…?" asked Esdeath.

The blonde Ninja cringed slightly and said, "Ummm….I'm really sorry about that, Kurama was messing with me inside my head. I didn't mean to ignore you girls." ' _Please let me live!_ ' he thought in a tiny voice.

Hinata nodded in understanding but Esdeath cocked her head to the side and asked, "Who is Kurama?"

 _'_ _Oooooh boy_ ….' lamented Naruto in his head. " _Ahahaha!_ Funny little story about that Esdeath-chan…."

 **Training Ground Eight**

Team Kurenai and company arrived at the torn up landscape that was their usual training grounds and saw signs of a battle. There was a perfectly circular chakra burn in the dirt from Hinata's kaiten and numerous shards of ice still lying around. "No doubt about it." said Hanabi as she examined the circle with her byakugan. "This is definitely the marks of Hinata nee-chan's kaiten and the ground and those shards of ice lying around are imbued with traces of chakra."

"That settles it then." said Akame as she examined a small ice shard. "It looks like Hinata and Esdeath were battling each other. We may want to check the hospital."

Kurenai was confused. "Who is this Esdeath person?"

Shino said, "Sensei, remember when there was that massive killing intent near the village gates that sent the ANBU scrambling recently?" Receiving a nod from his teacher the bug user continued. "That was Esdeath-san and Hinata-chan's combined killing intent as they both tried to claim Uzumaki Naruto was theirs from the other."

Hana's eyes bugged out. "Then Esdeath must be that light blue haired chick I saw that was hanging around with Naruto."

"….And nee-chan has always out with Naruto-kun too recently." added Hanabi.

"This could be bad. We should really head to the hospital." said Akame.

Kiba said, "Well, the scents of Hinata-chan and another person are strong here. Let's follow the trail."

Hana sniffed as well and said, "The other person has a….polar smell about them like a snowfield."

"That's Esdeath." said Akame. "Her Teigu gives her absolute mastery over ice."

Akamaru barked and he and the Inuzuka siblings soon were following the scent trails of Hinata and Esdeath. "It's kind of strange." commented Kiba. "They seemed to be travelling together after they were fighting. I mean _together_ , it's not like one was chasing the other."

Hana nodded. "You're right runt. But what could make them suddenly stop fighting and walk away _together?_ This trail is heading directly towards the market district. I kind of doubt they tried to beat the tar out of each other and then went shopping for clothes together as best friends."

"I'll _never_ understand women." muttered Kiba under his breath. Shino nodded silently in agreement.

Kurenai and Akame said in unison. "They must have sensed a greater threat than each other then." The two red eyed women stared at each other for a moment before looking in opposite directions and humming nonchalantly.

Everyone else paused and stared at the pair before Shino cleared his throat and said, "Ahem. That is logical. Let's get back on the trail." ' _It's creepy how much those two are alike_.' thought the bug user.

The trail soon led to the side street that the _EPIC_ girl fight had occurred on the night before and several ANBU were looking around. Cleanup crews were scrubbing the area clean a bloodstains and whatnot. It had been quite messy but no one was worse off than a concussion or bruised ribs. The Inuzuka siblings and Akamaru cringed as the harsh smells of cleaning chemicals hit their noses. "What the hell happened here?" asked Kiba seeing the massive cleanup team working away.

Two of last night's male bystanders were nearby and one said, "These two _incredibly hot_ blue haired chicks beat the living tar out of a mob of crazy fan girls that were chasing Uzumaki! It was _awesome!_ I mean, clothes were _flying_ and some of the girls even ended up _topless!_ It was a great man; you should have been there!" Both guys had slight nosebleeds.

The less than subtle killing intent from all the kunoichis (plus Akame) present started to seep into the conversation and the two witnesses quickly shut up. Kurenai said, "How do you two perverts know they were after Uzumaki Naruto?" She was obviously _pissed_.

The second man answered, "Um well, they were screaming stuff like, 'Naruto-sama; give me your babies' and stuff. When the two blue haired babes showed up they were all like, 'Leave Naruto-kun alone or we'll kick your ass!' so we figured the whole thing had to be about Uzumaki. Only he can get in that much trouble on a boring Thursday night when nothing is going on."

Shino nodded sagely. "On the last point there can be no doubt. Naruto _is_ a huge trouble magnet Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai sighed and asked the two men, "Did either of you see what direction the two blue haired women went after the fight?"

"No idea." said the first man. "I was too busy staring at boobs." The second one nodded in agreement.

Kurenal got a disgusted look and said, "All men are _pigs!_ " Shino and Kiba wisely stayed silent at their sensei's ranting.

 _The hunt continued_ ….

POSTSCRIPT:

The Prairie Oyster Cocktail is a real thing except for the hot mustard and jalapeños that I had Hana add. I have no idea who invented it or if it works. I sure as hell never want to try it. I found the ingredients when I googled 'most ridiculous hangover cures' for those interested in trying it themselves.

Well, we (sort of) had a guest appearance by the late, great Jiraiya. Originally it was going to be an omake but I worked it into the chapter instead. Naruto is (currently) still alive and so are Hinata and Esdeath. Is the Redwood Hotel (yes the name was intentional) going to end up in ruins or will things be worked out peacefully? Will Kakashi return and congratulate Naruto by inviting him to become a card carrying member of the Perverts United Association? Will any of this get answered? Who knows? This whole lemon thing threw the chapter off course from the get go so hopefully next chapter will be a little more normal. See you next time. Blue out. 12/30/15


	7. Chapter 7

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

**For my anonymous reviewer that keeps saying Asuma and Kurenai had a son; **please** look up Narutopedia and see it for yourself. They have a **daughter** named Sarutobi Mirai and she is at least chunin ranked by the time of the epilogue.

I'm posting this in my new chapters of all my stories that I am searching for full time employment again and dealing with a bankruptcy so the random updates will continue for a while. Not meaning to be repetitive in case you are reading my other stuff. I'd like to thank HolyKnight5 and hakon2feb for their input on this chapter. Well, now that the lemon chapter is squared away I can get back to more plot driven stuff. I want to thank everyone for their many reviews last chapter. Here is chapter 7:

Last time:

 _Kurenai sighed and asked the two men, "Did either of you see what direction the two blue haired women went after the fight?"_

 _"_ _No idea." said the first man. "I was too busy staring at boobs." The second one nodded in agreement._

 _Kurenal got a disgusted look and said, "All men are_ _pigs!_ _" Shino and Kiba wisely stayed silent at their sensei's ranting._

 _The hunt continued…._

Chapter 7

 **Konoha, the** ** _Redwood Hotel_**

Esdeath, Naruto and Hinata were all dressed and showered. The former General had spent the last few hours listening to the long tale about how Kurama was sealed into Naruto at birth and how he'd been socially ostracized as a result. **_ESDEATH WAS PISSED!_** The idea of Naruto forgiving these ingrates for what they'd done to her lover went totally against her grain. Naruto actually wanting to _protect_ them was even worse! The situation made her want to **_kill them all_** as slowly and tortuously as possible. "Naruto-kun, you are virtually power incarnate! Let me help you crush these insects as they deserve!" Esdeath said angrily. The whole situation between Esdeath, Hinata and Naruto seemed to have temporarily evaporated in light of Naruto's treatment as a child (Since Hinata had always been kind to Naruto she was accepted as a worthy person to Esdeath).

Hinata and Naruto were doing their best to calm the furious Esdeath down. "Let's check out of this hotel and go to my apartment and relax Esdeath-chan." said Naruto in a calm tone. Esdeath's plans to freeze the upper floors of the hotel as an example really didn't appeal to Naruto or Hinata at all and could lead to the enraged light blue haired young woman ending up with a jail sentence. Truthfully Naruto wanted to get Esdeath completely out of Konoha so she would calm down. The massive killing intent she was throwing in all directions wasn't helping much either.

About the time they stepped out of the hotel Team Kurenai and company arrived having felt the massive killing intent from Esdeath. Several ANBU were there too. Naruto said, "Ummm….Hi everyone! How's it going?"

Hanabi rushed over to Hinata and said "Nee-chan; we were all so worried last night; are you okay?"

"It's not like you to miss practice Hinata-chan." said Kurenai. "Is everything all right?"

Hinata blushed brightly and said, "Ah, we're sorry for worrying everyone. Naruto-kun was knocked unconscious when a fight broke out so Esdeath-san and I kept watch over him while he slept last night."

Kiba and Hana's noses told them otherwise. The three's scents were all over each other despite the fact they'd showered. It was damned obvious to the Inuzukas what had happened last night. The pleading look in Hinata's eyes kept them from saying anything though.

Akame said, "You should rein in your temper Esdeath; you could jeopardize our position with the ninjas in Konoha."

Hearing Akame's cool logic seemed to calm Esdeath down a bit. She was a General after all. If they wanted an alliance with the ninjas going on a killing spree probably wouldn't help.

ANBU Cat came up and said, "Naruto, Hinata and Esdeath-san need to report to the Hokage Tower. Hokage-sama wishes to see you about the street fight you were in last night. No charges are being pressed but she _is_ interested in talking to you."

Hinata went pale and Naruto face palmed. He said, "We'll be headed there straightaway Cat." Cat nodded and vanished in a body flicker.

"I have matters I need to discuss with the Hokage as well." said Akame. "I will join you."

The party of four bid farewell to Team Kurenai and slowly headed to the Hokage Tower. Naruto was absentmindedly holding hands with both Hinata and Esdeath. Akame noted this but decided not to comment.

 **The Hokage Tower**

The talk between Tsunade, Naruto and his two girlfriends(?) was awkward as hell. The Hokage cringed as she envisioned Naruto running in terror from fan girls straight to the soon to be leveled _Calamity Bar_. Having already heard the report about the street fight it wasn't so bad but that meant the two girls had to explain they were in the process of trying to maim each other beforehand which made Tsunade face palm. "So have you ladies settled your differences? I can't have you two beating the living crap out of each other." she asked sternly. "So why did you all go to a hotel?"

That's when all three young people blushed hotly and tried to look away from each other….

The blonde Hokage said in a quivering voice, "You didn't…." as the three blushed even hotter. "You did…." Tsunade's infamous vein bulged on her forehead appeared and she turned to Shizune who looked terribly embarrassed. "Shizune, I want you to take these two young ladies to Konoha Hospital and run a battery of the _appropriate_ tests."

Shizune nodded and said, Hinata-san, Esdeath-san; if you'll please follow me."

"But what about Naruto-kun?!" asked both girls in unison.

"I'm going to be having a nice _long_ chat with my surrogate son about _responsibility_." answered Tsunade in a tone that would peel the paint off the walls.

Both girls looked worriedly at their lover as they were led out. When the door closed Tsunade put up a silencing barrier and said. "Now Naruto-kun, you are going to tell me _exactly_ what happened last night…."

 **Konoha Hospital**

Esdeath and Hinata both underwent some serious testing to make sure that they weren't pregnant, diseased or otherwise compromised. Shizune and Sakura did all of the testing to keep it private and Sakura nearly fainted finding out what her brother figure did. Both Hinata and Esdeath said he was blackout drunk though. Sakura wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. In the old days she would have clobbered Naruto without hesitation for doing something so stupid but she had promised herself to stop that behavior. At any rate she figured Lady Tsunade was taking care of the issue.

It was a rather nerve wracking two hours for Hinata and Esdeath but the results came out negative and Sakura taught a kunoichi birth control jutsu to Hinata that she could use on herself and Esdeath if they planned to continue their activities. She also started them both on birth control prescriptions. It normally didn't bother Sakura as a professional medic to speak about being sexually active but somehow with Naruto being involved she got flustered. It was even more tongue tying with Hinata since they'd known each other since they were children. Hinata was going through the birth control jutsu hand signs to demonstrate to Sakura she had them memorized. "That's it Hinata-chan; you've got down perfectly." said the pink haired medic. "Ummm….So, are you Naruto's girlfriend now? I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to…."

Hinata's lavender eyes look glazed for a moment. ' _Baby, I'd ride him like a stallion_ _ **anytime!**_ ' she thought lustfully. Blushing, Hinata said, "I-I'm not sure Sakura. We were all really drunk and under really unusual circumstances….I know I want to be his g-girlfriend but Esdeath does too. It's all really confusing." ' _Damn it! I still start stuttering when I'm really nervous_.' "Naruto-kun, Esdeath-san and I all need to discuss it in detail."

"Is that why Esdeath seems so angry?" asked Sakura.

Hinata shook her head. "No, Esdeath-san found out about how miserable Naruto-kun's childhood was and how he was hated for the Kyubi."

Sakura felt defensive for Naruto. "You mean Esdeath doesn't like Naruto because of Kurama?" ' _I'll teach her a lesson!_ ' the rosette thought angrily.

"No, just the opposite!" exclaimed the indigo haired beauty. "Esdeath-san thinks Naruto is even more special and amazing like I do because of what he contains and what he had to endure. When she found out about how the people of Konoha treated him when he was younger she wanted to get revenge for him by _killing_ all those responsible for making Naruto-kun unhappy. It took us a long time to cool her off. She was really serious about murdering people."

The pinkette felt guilt at the way she herself had treated Naruto as a child. _'It wasn't about the Kyubi or anything but still….I wasn't any sort of friend to him._ ' Sakura looked at Hinata's concerned eyes. "What Naruto and I saw up at that prison facility was like a mass slaughterhouse for humans. I know you and I both saw things like that on the battlefields during the war but I'm under the impression that it may be commonplace or even _institutionalized_ on Esdeath's home continent….We should talk to Esdeath about it."

"We should talk to Akame-san and Leone-san too" added Hinata. "They are trying to stop the Empire behind all of this from what they've said."

 **The Hokage Tower**

Naruto left the Hokage's Office looking rather pale after talking with Tsunade for nearly an hour and a half. He had a lot on his mind to think about….

...

….After about ten more minutes Akame was invited in to see Tsunade. The Hokage looked stressed and tired. "Hello Akame-san. Your visit is unexpected but I have at bit of time before lunch. What can I do for you?"

Akame sat down looking rather nervous as opposed to her usual composed self. "Hokage-sama, I have a personal request. I don't know the ranking or payment system that Konoha uses but I would like to see if it would be possible to hire a team of your ninjas for a mission. At least one of them would need to be a medical specialist."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the young woman's skittish behavior. ' _Akame-san sounds almost….desperate?_ ' thought the Hokage to herself. Deciding that taking the direct approach would be best Tsunade said, "I need you to state the nature of this mission in detail and I will see if it can be arranged. I'm guessing this is on your home continent, yes?"

Akame nodded. "I will explain in full. On my home continent as you know there is the Empire and the Revolutionary Army trying to overthrow it." Tsunade nodded and Akame continued. "I was once the top assassin for the Empire but I defected to the other side. I left behind the Imperial regime but I also left behind my younger sister who is a loyal assassin to the Empire. I wish to rescue her. I believe with the medical knowledge that you ninjas have it could save her life."

"So you simply intend to rescue her against her will?" asked Tsunade. "That's generally called kidnapping." ' _Not that we don't do that too._ '

"It isn't that simple." explained Akame. "My sister and I were both trained brutally from childhood and I grew stronger for it despite all the harshness. My little sister Kurome wasn't so fortunate. She wasn't able to withstand the training so they used body enhancing drugs to augment her strength. Although she turned out to be an outstanding assassin as a result she is addicted to those drugs and they are slowly killing her body and her mind. Last time I faced her I feared her body would give out. She doesn't have much time left and the Revolutionary Army doesn't have the medical knowledge or facilities to save her life. Once she's used up the Empire will simply dispose of her like garbage! I don't know what I can offer you in return but I want to save Kurome before it's too late!" Akame had broken down into tears by this point. She was totally lost and didn't know what else to do.

Tsunade felt bad for the young woman but knew there was no way Akame herself could pay for such a mission. Given a team involved would be travelling into totally hostile and unknown territory the Hokage felt it would have to be rated as S-class. "Akame-san, we're talking about a potentially S-class mission. There are entire villages that can't afford to pay that."

Akame said frantically through her tears, "What if I gave you my Murasame as payment?! This Teigu is worth a mountain of gold! I will give it to you willingly if it will save my baby sister's life!"

The Hokage held up her hands and said, "Calm yourself Akame-san! I understand you're desperate to save your sister. Perhaps there is a solution."

It took several minutes for Akame to regain her composure. "I'm terribly sorry Hokage-sama; it's just that I-"

"I lost my little brother in battle when I was close to your age Akame-san." said Tsunade. "Believe me when I tell you I understand _exactly_ how you feel."

Akame gasped but before she could apologize Tsunade raised her hand and said, "It was a long, _long_ time ago. Don't worry about it." Tsunade closed her eyes and took a calming breath before she focused her amber eyes on Akame's red ones. "What are the odds of your sister being willing to submit to treatment without a death match resulting?"

Akame pondered and said, "Kurome loves me and I love her but she views me as a traitor….I believe Esdeath could convince her though."

The Hokage sighed. "Put your heads together with your allies Esdeath and Leone and come up with a **_feasible_** plan. Tell me how many ninjas you would require and what skill sets they would need to have. **_IF_** and only **_IF_** you three can convince me that this rescue mission has a good chance of succeeding I _might_ be convinced to invest in this little venture of yours Akame-san. Think hard and work out the details. When you have something solid come back to me and we'll talk. Do we understand each other?"

Akame nodded and wiped the last of the moisture from her eyes. "Yes Hokage-sama, I understand perfectly." Akame stood up and bowed before saying, "Thank you for your time Hokage-sama." After that Tsunade dismissed her.

After Akame left Tsunade leaned back in her chair and thought to herself, ' _Damn, I must be going soft in my old age. But the pain in her eyes was the same pain I saw in the mirror as when I lost Nawaki so long ago_ ….'

 **Naruto's Apartment**

Naruto had aimlessly wandered to his apartment and laid down on his couch. His long talk with Tsunade was (surprisingly) very civil and far more informative than he'd hoped. In retrospect he really wished Tsunade baa-chan had decked him and called him an idiot instead of explaining all the possible consequences….He was very worried about Hinata-chan and Esdeath-chan. The first place he'd gone was the hospital to check on them but they weren't there as far as he could tell. Mentally exhausted, he dozed off on the couch and had a nightmare.

 _Dream sequence…._

 _Esdeath and Hinata were both at Naruto's apartment sitting on either side of him on his couch. Both seemed very happy. Hinata-chan was blushing and she said, "Naruto-kun, I have wonderful news! I'm pregnant with twins!" Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head as his jaw hit the floor. The indigo haired beauty seemed radiantly happy…._

 _…_ _.Until Esdeath-chan said, "_ _ **What?!**_ _I came here to tell Naruto-kun that_ _ **I'm**_ _pregnant with twins!"_

 _The two girls glared at each other for a moment and then both turned to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, you're going to be a Father!" they said in unison._

 _The blonde ninja promptly fainted…._

 _…_ _._

 _Kakashi was sitting with Naruto at the silver haired Jonin's place as Naruto explained the situation to his sensei. Kakashi slapped him on the back. "I'm so proud of you Naruto!" said Kakashi with tears in his eyes. "Now you are a real man and you hooked up with two hot as hell babes to rebuild the Uzumaki Clan. The new Icha-Icha I'm writing in homage to Jiraiya-sama is based on the night that the two sets of twins were conceived! I'm going to title it Icha-Icha Paradise: Double Whammy! What do you think of the title?"_

 _Naruto strangled Kakashi to death with his bare hands shortly after that comment and hid the body…._

 _…_ _._

 _Upon returning to his apartment having hidden the evidence of Kakashi's untimely death Naruto heard a knock on his door. He opened it and saw a sea of angry Hyūgas all armed with pitchforks and torches. Their byakugan eyes blazed with hatred. At the head of the huge mob was Hinata's Father Hiashi. "You defiled my baby girl and knocked up the heiress to the Hyūga Clan out of wedlock! Uzumaki Naruto; as the head of the illustrious Hyūga Clan I hereby sentence you to_ _ **immediate**_ _(if not sooner)_ _ **death**_ _!"_

 _Naruto screamed like a school girl and fled from Konoha dodging shurikens and kunai knives the whole way. The mob of angry Hyūgas baying for his blood chased him all over the Elemental Countries for months on end before he managed to ditch them in Water Country and went back into Konoha to see the girls. When he arrived he found that Hinata and Esdeath were both at his apartment waiting for him. They were both wearing maternity dresses and he hugged and kissed both of them….Then they both promptly went into labor simultaneously…._

 _That's when Tsunade appeared and said, "Naruto you knucklehead! I_ _ **told**_ _you this would happen!"_

 _End of dream…._

Naruto woke up with his eyes big as saucers and nearly screamed before he realized it was just a nightmare.

Panting, the orange loving ninja said, "It was just a dream; just a dream."

 _Uzumaki Naruto was a nervous wreck_ ….

 **Akame and Leone's Apartment**

Sakura had convinced Hinata and Esdeath (who both wanted to go see Naruto) to go see Akame and Leone instead. She felt that they as a group could go over to see Naruto and they could all discuss the Empire situation. The rosette was concerned that the Empire's abandoned base in Snow Country might be a sign of things to come and wanted to see what everyone thought. Hinata knocked on the door of the apartment and they heard a strange groan. Activating her byakugan; Hinata looked in and saw Leone lying in a heap on the floor. "Akame's not here and Leone is lying in the floor." said the byakugan princess. "She looks bad."

"I'll force the door." said Sakura as she went to grab the handle.

Hinata waved her off and said, "I've got this." Much to Esdeath's amusement Hinata pulled a lock pick and thirty seconds later the door unlocked with a soft 'click.'

Esdeath found herself reevaluating Hinata once more. The seemingly gentle and kind girl had far more abilities than Esdeath thought. The light blue haired young woman initially assessed Hinata as a pampered rich girl but Hinata had proven to have some amazing abilities and could actually stand up to Esdeath in a fight. Perhaps Hinata was a true ninja and worthy of respect after all….

Hinata led the way in and rolled the half dead looking Leone over onto her back that made Leone groan. Hinata said, "Leone-san; what happened to you? Are you sick?"

Leone moaned out, "Akame….tried to kill me….poisonous hangover cure….going to die now. Goodnight."

The three women standing over the downed Leone sported huge sweat drops and Sakura said, "Let me look her over." in a resigned tone.

After about ten minutes Sakura shook her head. "She's got a _massive_ hangover. Let me get the alcohol out of her system." ' _If I wasn't Tsunade-sama's apprentice I wouldn't know how to cleanse the body of alcohol so easily. Still, I wish my Master would lay off the booze_ ….' Within about fifteen minutes Sakura had cured Leone's issues with a generous amount of healing chakra. All Leone had now was a mild headache.

The blonde, cat like woman stood up and looked herself up and down. She experimentally moved her body around and found she was _cured_! She immediately fell to her knees and hugged the now standing Sakura around the waist. "You are and drunkard's _messiah_ Saint Sakura-chan! _I love you!_ "

Sakura stood into total shock as the blonde haired woman clung onto her for dear life. "Ummm….Okay, you're welcome. _Please_ stop touching me." said the pink haired girl uncomfortably.

Akame came in about that time and quietly locked the door behind her. Seeing the touching (?) scene in front of her Akame said, "Should I come back at a better time?"

Leone appeared in front of her smaller partner and smacked her on top of the head leaving a lump that made Akame wince. " _That_ was for trying to murder me with your 'miracle cure' Akame-chan. If it wasn't for Saint Sakura-chan over here saving me I'd still be on the verge of death!"

Akame rubbed her head and blinked. " _Saint_ Sakura-chan?" asked the red eyed assassin dryly.

"Yes, from now on you shall address her as _Saint_." stated Leone authoritatively. "She cured my horrible hangover."

Sakura face palmed and Hinata quietly covered her mouth to prevent bursting into giggles. Esdeath was rather amused and smiled at Sakura's horrified look.

Akame said, "You shouldn't have done that Saint Sakura-san. Now Leone will be your best friend for life."

 **Imperial Capitol, Jaeger's Residence**

Kurome was quietly having dinner with Wave. There had been an uprising and the Jaegers had been called upon to brutally but it down this morning. The young black eyed assassin took no glory in this slaughter. She was a professional killer and had taken out more targets than she could count but sending the Jaegers in for this so called _uprising_ ….Kurome figured sheep would have defended themselves better. The Jaegers and their Teigus weren't necessary at all. Hell; a few squads of inexperienced infantry could have taken care of it. It turned out that something about the uprising caught the attention of Prime Minister Honest and thus he had ordered them in to crush the movement.

It never really occurred to Kurome before but she felt like she and Wave were puppets to Honest to a greater degree than her _actual_ puppets were to her Teigu _Yatsufusa_. Kurome and Wave had slaughtered over ninety percent and the religious insurgents making a peaceful protest when Honest ordered a mass bombardment with artillery. It was a miracle she and Wave were even alive. Actually it _wasn't_ a miracle. Kurome had fallen and her remaining puppets were destroyed by the rain of incoming ammunition. She was lying there staring at the incoming fire that would surely kill her when Wave appeared and shielded her body with his own. Using his armored Teigu _Grand Chariot_ Wave saved her worthless life. When she asked him why afterwards he simply said, " _I will always protect you_."

Something inside Kurome changed or broke or…. _something_. She burst into tears as he pulled her out under the hail of metal raining down. After it was over she'd been sitting on the ground in a state of semi-shock from her near death experience while Wave raged at the local Commander who claimed that the Jaegers weren't going fast enough so he had orders from the Prime Minister to open fire after fifteen minutes. Wave was going to brutalize the man regardless of the consequences but Kurome asked Wave to bring her home instead….Now she and Wave were eating dinner in silence hours later after they'd washed up. Wave just seemed to be glaring at his plate as he ate. The young man felt totally betrayed and she felt the same….

After dinner the each decided to turn in for the night being worn out. Wave bid her goodnight at her door and turned to go to his own room when Kurome said, "Wave…."

"Yes?" answered the dark blue haired man as he turned back to face her.

Kurome slowly, gently planted a kiss on his lips. It started out chaste but then it turned passionate as they held on to each other desperately as if their lives depended upon it. When they broke apart for air both of them were panting for breath as their hearts hammered in their chests. Kurome looked deeply into Wave's dark blue eyes with her black ones and whispered, "Please stay with me tonight….I need you…." No more words were said as she took his large hands with her smaller ones and she led him into her bedroom. Somehow in the darkness of making love for the first time all of her pain seemed to vanish. She knew Wave was exhausted and she was too but being safe in each other's arms and surrounded by their mutual warmth mattered so much more than sleep to both of them. For now there was no Empire, no Revolutionary Army and no war….all that mattered was the love and happiness they found in each other….

 **Konoha, Naruto's Apartment**

Naruto answered his door and saw Esdeath and Hinata standing there smiling softly. He immediately pulled them both into a hug and said, "Hinata-chan, Esdeath-chan; are you both all right? I've being worried sick for hours!" Then he asked quietly, "Are you girls pregnant?"

Both Esdeath and Hinata returned his hug and were basking in his warmth. "Neither one of us is pregnant Naruto-kun." said Hinata smiling. "We're both okay." Naruto simply held them both in relief for a few moments.

That was when he heard Leone's voice, "Well! I have to say I'm totally in _shock_. Just _what_ did you three go and do last night after we were all drinking? Did you become a _big boy_ last night Naruto-kun? Leone onee-chan needs to know!" The cat like blonde woman was smiling from ear to ear as the three young lovers all blushed hotly and Leone laughed.

Sakura was blushing as much for their sake as her own and Akame's normally stoic red eyes were big as saucers in shock. "Maybe we should all go inside." said Sakura uncomfortably.

Naruto wordlessly slipped to the side as everyone came in. Leone was still chuckling as Hinata and Esdeath stuck closely to Naruto. Sakura was embarrassed and Akame was just dumbfounded. Naruto quietly closed the door behind Akame as she was the last in and he said, "Well, this is awkward…."

Leone wanted to know, Sakura knew but wished that she didn't and Akame wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to know. Esdeath said sternly, "What happened last night is none of your concern Leone-san. We came over here to Naruto-kun's to discuss the situation with the Empire; _not_ our love lives."

Leone just pouted but was planning to pry the juicy details out of Hinata later….Then she was sworn to silence about the whole matter and pouted even more. The last thing Hinata wanted was her sensei and the entire Hyūga Clan after her lover's head. Once Akame promised to keep her mischeivous partner in line then everyone felt better about the situation.

….

The group of five ordered takeout from Ichirakus and spent the evening discussing the nature of the Empire and whether or not the Empire might be planning to invade the Elemental Continent.

Esdeath shook her head and said, "Perhaps Honest planned to get some sort of recon base here a decade ago but the Empire is in no position financially or militarily to invade. They have enemies on all sides and all their resources are buried in fighting there. The only other possible use of such a base would be a place to retreat to off continent should the Empire fall but that seems unlikely given it was a prison complex. My estimation is the base was a folly the Prime Minister talked the Emperor into and when it failed it was forgotten about."

Naruto added, "Sakura-chan and I estimatated it had been abandoned for years. The only thing living there was Esdeath-chan and she would have died if it wasn't for that amulet."

Leone asked curiously, "How did you remove that amulet anyway Naruto? Najenda indicated that without the key we had it was impossible to remove."

"I overloaded it with Sage chakra and crushed it afterwards. It was an infernal piece of work that didn't need to be around any longer."

Akame's eyes widened slightly. She remembered Najenda's words on the subject clearly '…. _The_ _Amulet of Souls_ _could theoretically be overloaded if you had life force on par with….I don't know; some kind of deity.'_ The concept baffled the young assassin. ' _Just how powerful are you Uzumaki Naruto?_ ' Akame briefly glanced at Leone and saw the gold eyed woman was thinking along the same lines as she picked her jaw up off the floor.

 _'_ _If he's that powerful he could be a tremendous help to the Revolutionary Army_.' thought Leone. "Ummm….Naruto, just how much power of yours did that take? I'm surprised it didn't kill you."

"It took about as much as a small wind rasenshuriken." said Naruto. "It's a lot of power but no big deal."

Akame asked, "Could you demonstrate this 'wind rasenshuriken for us Naruto?"

Esdeath's eyes glittered at the idea of seeing her lover's true power. "I'd like to see it too. Can you _please_ show us Naruto-kun?"

Sakura said, "The whole village would panic! The rasenshuriken is an S-class kinjustu that can level stuff for miles around. We'd have to get permission from Tsunade-sama to do that so as not to cause an incident."

"In one strike it can level things for _miles?!_ " asked Esdeath even more enthused.

Hinata nodded. "It's one of the most powerful jutsus ever created and only Naruto-kun can do it." It is mind boggling to watch."

"What does it look like?" asked the excited Esdeath.

Hinata answered, "It looks like a massive fuma shuriken made of compressed chakra. It's like looking at the sun. Words just don't do it justice."

Changing subjects, Naruto said, "I wonder if baa-chan would allow a deep reconnaissance mission for us to assess how dangerous the Empire is to us. I don't feel that we can ignore such a huge issue."

Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes and Akame said, "I have a mission I asked Tsunade-sama about that might double as a recon mission for the ninjas."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and said, "What kind of a mission?"

Akame took a deep breath and said, "I want to rescue my baby sister from the Empire."

Esdeath looked surprised. "You want to rescue Kurome? I doubt she would be cooperative."

"She is my sister and those damn drugs the Empire is giving her are killing her!" said Akame angrily. "I believe the ninja's medical abilities could save her life….and I believe **_you_** could convince her to submit to it Esdeath. Kurome and I love each other but you know she sees me as a traitor."

"What are the nature of these drugs?" asked Sakura.

"A program was created by the Empire to take children and train them to be the ultimate assassins for the Empire." said Esdeath. "Some were brilliantly successful like Akame here. Of course she defected so I guess she wasn't that succesful." Akame glared at Esdeath for a moment before the General continued. "Others weren't as successful and one program used body enhancing drugs to improve the performance of their assassins. One of those is Kurome who is Akame's younger sister. The performance enhancing drugs are incredibly harsh on the human body and it is a testament to Kurome's strength of well that she is still alive and sane. To my knowledge all the others from her generation with the body drug augmentation are dead from either combat or their bodies or minds failing them."

"Did you support this program Esdeath?" asked Sakura. "You sure seem to know a lot about it."

Esdeath shook her head, "I was in training while that program was instituted. I believe only the strongest should survive. Using drugs as a crutch goes against my principles. The reason I know so much about it is I was Kurome's commanding officer in the Jaegers and I had the study the dossiers of each of my troops to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Kurome is an exceptional assassin but in high level combat she needs her drugs to come out on top. I was considering weaning her off of the drugs so she wouldn't have a dependency but Honest betrayed me before I could even bring up the subject."

The former general then nodded to herself. "The remaining Jaegers would make powerful allies and if Kurome's body could be fully restored I believe she might be nearly as strong as Akame _without_ the body augmentation drugs after the proper training. I fully support this idea."

Leone was shocked at the situation. She never knew how much Akame wanted to rescue Kurome but Esdeath as well? The cat like woman was staring to see a new side of Esdeath she never imagined was there. It seemed that the light blue haired General who was an utter sadist actually _cared_ about her troop's welfare. Leone said, "Count me in."

"But I would need to convince the Hokage." said Akame. "Hinata said she was the greatest medic and I can't imagine her going on a mission herself."

Naruto smiled and said, "Tsunade baa-chan wouldn't need to go on this mission. She could send her greatest apprentice instead; Haruno Sakura-chan."

Sakura blushed slightly at the praise from her teammate. "I can't guarantee anything but I would be willing to go."

Akame felt a tiny bit of hope creeping into her mind. "Tsunade-sama said I needed to work out a detailed plan for what ninjas I would need and how it would be conducted."

"Then we will help you Akame." said Hinata with a soft smile. "You can count on me."

Naruto said, "If Kurome is your most precious person then I will gladly help you too."

Akame felt herself tearing up and said, "Thank you everybody."

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, it seems that Akame's found the allies she needs to save her sister Kurome. The question is; will Tsunade agree to it? Esdeath seems very eager to see her lover's full power. Has she decided to let go of her vendetta against the villagers of Konoha or is that just temporary? Next chapter is tentatively named _Escape from Konoha_. See you next time. Blue out. 1/7/16


	8. Chapter 8

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

Well, I _almost_ made my goal of updating all my stories during February that are active. The only one I missed was _Journey to Lyonesse_. I guess six out of seven isn't bad considering I updated _Valkyrie_ three times and this one twice. Anyway, without further ado here is _Trapped Under Ice_ chapter 8. Enjoy!

To DBlade59: I've never played Mass Effect but thanks anyway. I would ask that you get an ff net account and PM me from now on instead of leaving ideas for new stories instead of reviews. That way I could actually respond to you instead of leaving these awkward author's notes.

Last time:

 _Akame felt a tiny bit of hope creeping into her mind. "Tsunade-sama said I needed to work out a detailed plan for what ninjas I would need and how it would be conducted."_

 _"_ _Then we will help you Akame." said Hinata with a soft smile. "You can count on me."_

 _Naruto said, "If Kurome is your most precious person then I will gladly help you too."_

 _Akame felt herself tearing up and said, "Thank you everybody."_

Chapter 8

 **Konoha, Hyūga Compound**

It had been two weeks since the hotel incident and rumors were flying fast and furious about Naruto, Hinata and Esdeath. That was when Hiashi got his credit card statement and found his eldest daughter's spending at the _Redwood Hotel_ ….He called Hinata to his office first thing in the morning to address this matter. Hinata was standing in front of her Father soon. "You called me Otou-sama?" She was obviously dressed to go out and train.

Hiashi sighed. "I just received the bill that you recently stayed in the _Honeymoon Suite_ at the _Redwood Hotel_ Hinata-chan. You've also been out a lot in the company of Uzumaki Naruto and he has not asked me for permission to court you. You were even seen leaving his apartment early one morning indicating you _spent the night_ with him. _Explain yourself daughter_. This is most unseemly behavior for the heiress of the prestigious Hyūga Clan."

Hinata looked at her Father, narrowed her eyes and said, "There must be some mistake. You know I always sleep at home. Surely our sentries here at the compound would have taken notice of my absence if I was slipping out at night….And I previously explained the situation at the _Redwood Hotel_. I would be interested in hearing where you got this _false_ information Otou-sama."

The Hyūga clan head could detect no lies but was surprised at his normally passive daughter's sudden assertiveness. He then held up an indigo t-shirt that said in all caps _TEAM HINATA_ with a pinup picture of Hinata artfully painted above it. It was quite provocative. Seeing the shirt Hinata's eyes widened and she blushed atomic red before asking, " ** _What_** _is the meaning of this?!"_

Hiashi answered, "These t-shirts have been circulating around the village and belong to your **fan club**." Seeing his daughter's shocked look Haishi continued, "Judging by your body language you knew nothing about this. We captured a young man trying to spy on your room in the compound yesterday night and he was wearing this. He intended to acquire some photos of you for publication."

"W-when did this start?" asked Hinata all out of sorts. She was basically goggle eyed at this point.

"Apparently it started after you were seen in the company of Uzumaki Naruto and Partas Esdeath-san." he said as he held up a light blue t-shirt that said _TEAM ESDEATH_ and had Esdeath's pinup picture on it. It was equally racy. "It seems you and Esdeath-san have competing fan clubs that are quite popular among the male population."

Hinata was still blushing hotly when she face palmed. "Tell me you are investigating who is behind this insanity. I am _not_ some kind of sex symbol."

Hiashi looked admiringly at the picture of his daughter on the t-shirt and smirked. "Though I totally disapprove the likeness of you on this shirt is actually quite good."

" _OTOU-SAMA, THEY'VE GOT ME IN LINGERIE!_ " shrieked Hinata in total embarrassment.

"I was only joking Hinata-chan." said Hiashi.

Hinata narrowed her eyes and growled angrily, "This is **_not_** a joking matter Otou-sama! The resources of the Hyūga clan should be put towards stomping these two _fan clubs_ out in their entirety!" She then vanished in a body flicker without even waiting for Hiashi to dismiss her.

Hiashi was a bit shocked at his daughter's abrupt departure but decided to let it slide. ' _Well, she has every right to be upset. First we'll have to seize these from the young men within the Hyūga Compound_.'

….

Hinata left the compound a few minutes later obviously very irritated and flustered. Once she was well clear 'Hinata' thought to herself, _'I'd best inform my original. Thank the gods Naruto-kun taught me the shadow clone jutsu._ ' She promptly dispelled.

 **Naruto's apartment**

Hinata was lying with Naruto in bed kissing him sensually. It had been a great night and Esdeath was on Naruto's other side still asleep. "Mmmm….Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered. Naruto smiled hungrily at his indigo haired girlfriend and returned her kiss. That's when the memories of Hinata's shadow clone hit her like a sledge hammer and she jolted back in shock which made Naruto jump and Esdeath wake up with a start. Hinata's eyes were wide and she yelled, " ** _WHAAAT?!_** " with her face flaming red with embarrassment.

 **Hokage's Office**

While Hinata was having a panic attack; Akame was presenting her finalized mission plan to the Hokage. Tsunade said, "So you want Hyūga Hinata as a scout, Haruno Sakura as a medic for your sister Kurome and Uzumaki Naruto for heavy assault if needed. You plan to have Esdeath as your negotiator so Kurome will realize the situation and accept your help. This….seems workable." said Tsunade as she looked over the copious notes that Akame and her allies had put together in the last couple of weeks. "I have a mission for Naruto and Sakura anyway. Why don't you three Teigu users and Hinata go along and see how the team dynamics are?"

….

Two hours later; Tsunade had summoned Naruto, Sakura and Hinata along with Esdeath, Akame and Leone. "Sakura, you will head up this mission. It should be easy between you and Naruto but it's still a B-ranked mission due to the size of the undertaking."

"What is our mission Tsunade-sama?" asked the pinkette.

"It's a cleanup job at the Valley of the End." answered Tsunade. "The remnants of the statue of my Grandfather Senju Hashirama and that of Uchiha Madara have collapsed into the river and I want it cleared out. Several minor villages depend on that river for commerce and fishing. They are suffering from the blockage so it needs to be taken care of."

Hinata asked, "Hokage-sama, wouldn't a team of demolition engineers be more suitable than us?"

Tsunade nodded. "Ordinarily that's who I would send but I want Naruto to test his new arm with a **_half_** powered rasenshuriken. That should be sufficient to destroy all the wreckage." She looked at Naruto. " ** _Half_** Naruto; not a fraction more. Sakura will be there to check your arm and make sure it can handle the strain understand? I don't want you getting overzealous and damaging your new arm."

Naruto said, "I understand; I'll be careful."

The Hokage smiled in approval. "Good. Your Team will be leaving first thing in the morning."

….

 **Konoha, Front Gates**

It was six A.M. the next morning and Sakura was addressing her teammates. "So I guess we'll see how the six of us work together in the field. Tsunade-sama may change or approve the team members involved in Akame's rescue mission depending on how things go. Unless we run into some sort of trouble this should be an easy trip and we'll be home by this evening."

Seeing that everyone was ready to go Sakura put Hinata on point and the group of six took off….

 **The Valley of the End**

When Naruto and the others arrived at the Valley of the End several hours later the ruined landscape was still evident from Team 7's last visit at the end of the Fourth Shinobi War. "What happened here Naruto-kun?" asked Esdeath looking at the sheer devastation. To the Teigu users it looked like a meteor impact had hit the place.

Naruto looked a bit embarrassed but Sakura answered, "Naruto and Sasuke-kun happened here. This is what it took for Naruto to convince Sasuke-kun that peace was the correct path. The idiots destroyed one of each other's arms in the process."

"That's how you lost your arm Naruto-kun?" asked Esdeath. ' _Perhaps I should **punish** this Sasuke person for hurting my Naruto-kun._ '

"Yeah; Sasuke may be my best friend but he's also the most stubborn bastard I've ever met." said Naruto shaking his head. "It took us nearly killing each other before he understood that it is peace and reconciliation that is the way to a better world."

Esdeath felt Naruto's confidence flowing over her when he spoke of his beliefs. ' _Could my continent find peace this way?_ ' she wondered to herself. ' _The way he says that makes me feel like it's possible -like anything is possible. I could be happy if Naruto-kun made it happen_.'

Akame also felt moved by Naruto's words. ' _Looking at all this destruction it awes me that he is a man of such strong beliefs in peace. Most people would be easily consumed with such power_.'

"So let's see this cool technique that we came all the way out here to see!" said Leone excitedly.

Hinata looked downstream to the wreckage of the giant statues of Hashirama and Madara. "Well, it's about a mile downstream Naruto-kun. You should be able to easily clear the ruins from here."

Naruto nodded. "Alright everyone; move about fifty feet clear of me so you don't get caught in the turbulence." Once everyone got back Naruto activated his sage mode before he created two clones and focused his chakra in his hand. He quickly made an ever growing rasengan. As his clones added wind chakra to the sphere it rapidly flattened into a disk and the power skyrocketed. All of the girls felt the power giving them chills up and down their spines. Naruto thought to himself, ' _That's about half power, time to let it rip!_ '

To his companions Naruto seemed to move in slow motion as he raised the massive wind rasenshuriken above his head. The sheer power she felt coming off of her lover had Esdeath nearly orgasmic with excitement. Leone and Akame were both staring in awe at the screeching disc of death suspended in the air above Naruto's above right hand. Naruto's eyes glowed with power as he launched the enormous chakra construct forward into the air. Both Hinata and Sakura had both seen it before but it had been in battle and they hadn't been able to focus their full attention on it. Sakura was amazed knowing this was only half power and Hinata felt a thrill knowing her lover had such power at his fingertips.

The rasenshuriken went plowing into the rubble filled landscape known as the Valley of the end and vaporized everything it touched before Naruto snapped his fingers causing it to expand outwards and explode about a mile away. They could all feel the wind buffeting them even at that great a distance. Once the wind and the howling noise of the colossal jutsu died out Naruto said, "….And that is a half power wind rasenshuriken. You can see why I can't use it near populated areas as it could cause a panic. On the other hand, my new arm seems great!"

Hinata and the others were staring down towards the debris and the Hyūga heiress studied the results carefully with her byakugan. "The wreckage was totally destroyed and the river is clear again Naruto-kun." she said sounding pleased. "Mission accomplished!"

' _If that's half power then what is_ _ **full**_ _power?!_ ' thought the three Teigu users in unabashed awe.

Sakura motioned to Naruto. "Let me give your arm a medical scan Naruto. Tsunade-sama wanted here me to make double and triple sure." Naruto soon shed his jacket and Sakura carefully ran a diagnostic jutsu. About five minutes later Sakura smiled and said, "Excellent! Your new arm conducts your chakra perfectly; sage or otherwise. How does it feel?"

Naruto grinned. "It feels just like my original arm Sakura-chan. Baa-chan did awesome with you and Shizune nee-chan's help."

"It was mainly Tsunade-sama's work." said Sakura modestly.

"You don't give yourself enough credit Sakura-chan." said Naruto reassuringly. "I'm sure some day in the future you'll be training your own apprentices to become great medics."

Esdeath was off in her own world picturing the bloated Prime Minister Honest being totally vaporized by a massive rasenshuriken. As smile came to her lovely face and she asked, "Hinata, just how much more powerful is Naruto-kun's full power rasenshuriken?"

Hinata looked thoughtful and said, "If that had been a full power strike like in the war we would have wanted to be an additional mile away when it hit. It was being used against those who would call themselves gods."

Leone looked excited and Akame was still staring at the settling dust. ' _Naruto could kill_ _ **an entire army**_ _in one hit_.' thought the red eyed girl. She looked over at Esdeath who looked absolutely euphoric. _'It looks like Esdeath is already soaking up the tactical and strategic possibilities. I'm awed that Naruto is so modest and kind to others. There is no Teigu that could match this. Someone in the Empire with that kind of power would truly be a monster_.'

 **Konoha, Front Gates**

Early that evening Sakura's Team returned without a hitch. Izumo and Kotetsu 'the eternal chunins' were on gate guard duty when the group of six arrived home. "Chunin Haruno Sakura and team returning from our mission." reported the rosette in a good mood. That's when she noticed Izumo and Kotetsu were looking past her at Naruto, Hinata and Esdeath who where subconsciously holding hands. Sakura had a questioning look on her face and asked, "What's wrong guys?"

Izumo said, "Well, I think those three should travel under henge or something. There has been a bit of an outbreak while you were gone today and I think that Naruto actually having two girlfriends like the rumors say is only going to add fuel to the fire." ' _Lucky bastard….How did he end up with two hot women?_ '

Kotetsu (as usual) didn't have as much tact. "Actually I was hoping you ladies would sign my t-shirts. I couldn't make up my mind so I joined both _Team Hinata_ and _Team Esdeath_ so I could get the posters, t-shirts and stuff."

"…." said Hinata, Esdeath and Naruto as they glared at Kotetsu.

Sakura hadn't heard about any of this and was a bit confused as a result. "Ummm….I hate to ask but what _are_ you talking about Kotetsu?"

Izumo saw the skull and crossbones emblems reflecting in Esdeath's blue eyes and mushroom cloud explosions reflected in Hinata's lavender ones. Slapping his hand over Kotestu's mouth Izumo nervously said, "What Kotetsu means is he's an idiot and can't make up his mind and knows nothing about the full situation here. He and I really feel that Hinata, Naruto and Esdeath-san should travel discreetly. _Isn't that right Kotetsu?!_ " asked Izumo in a manic tone.

Kotetsu nodded eagerly and gave them the thumbs up while sweating at the girl's angry glares directed towards him. He would have said something but his partner's hand was still clamped tightly over his mouth….

Naruto quickly grabbed a travelling cloak from the guard house and wrapped it around Esdeath. Then he and Hinata changed their appearance under henges. Naruto said to Sakura and the equally confused Akame and Leone, "We'll explain in private later."

Sakura got a massive sweat drop wondering what kind of a mess her blonde teammate was in this time….

 **Hokage's Office**

Tsunade listened to the reports from Sakura and her team and was pleased that everything went like clockwork. She said, "Very well then, I'm officially approving the mission to help Akame's younger sister Kurome with this team. If I were you I'd leave the village as soon as reasonably possible." Tsunade turned her attention to Naruto and his two girlfriends. "Given you three have painted huge targets on your backs with not only the Hyūga Clan but the previously unknown _Team Hinata_ and _Team Esdeath Fan Clubs_ I've decided that the mission for you to be on another continent is for the best until the heat is off." Tsunade added in a resigned tone, "Only _you_ would be capable of landing yourself and others in such a position Naruto-kun."

The Teigu users were soon dismissed leaving Sakura, Naruto and Hinata with the Hokage. Tsunade said. "Naruto, in spite of the fact you don't always act like one I'm field promoting you to chunin to head up this mission. Congratulations; you've deserved it for a long time. That being said, _don't make me regret it_." she added as she tossed him a chunin vest which made all three young ninjas smile happily. "Since you are key on this mission you need to at least equal in rank to your teammates."

Naruto grinned happily and said, "Thank you Baa-chan; this is so awesome! So we have to kidnap Akame-chan's little sister Kurome so Sakura-chan can heal the damage to Kurome's body."

"I just hope Kurome _can_ be healed Naruto." said Tsunade. "It may take weeks or longer to heal her assuming it's even possible. I know you want to see a happily ever after but abusing a human body with drugs over years of time can do irreversible damage. Sakura is a _more_ than capable as a medic but sometimes it's simply beyond our means to help. If it's necessary you have permission to bring Kurome back here to recover if it's unavoidable. That's Sakura's call though." Sakura nodded in agreement.

"So that's our cover." said Naruto. "What's our _real_ mission then?"

Shizune and Tsunade both looked a bit shocked. Naruto frowned. "Come on Baa-chan; Akame-chan doesn't have the funds to pay for this expensive mission so there must be a reason you authorized this. No offense but authorizing S-class missions out of the kindness of your heart isn't something a Hokage should do unless it's to help a close ally like when we rescued Gaara from the Akatsuki."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "Who are you and what have you done with the real Naruto? You were actually paying attention?"

" _Baa-chan_ …." whined Naruto.

The Hokage smiled. "I'll see you as a Hokage yet Naruto. Your team's real mission is to scout out the real situation on the Imperial Continent and whether they are potentially a threat to us or if they could be allies to us in the future. We are seeing everything from the viewpoint of the Revolutionary Army and Esdeath who was betrayed by the Empire. Our information on who the 'good guys' and 'bad guys' actually _are_ in this conflict is coming from a _very_ slanted point of view. I need your team to find out the truth." After going over some mission specifics with her three subordinates Tsunade said, "Remember you are on foreign soil and there will be no backup. I want you to be cautious and come back alive and well. You are dismissed."

 **Hyūga Compound**

The two sentries at the gates of the Hyūga Compound welcomed Hinata home. It was the real Hinata this time because she seriously needed to clean up and relax a bit. She also had to pack for a very long term mission. Dodging gossipers under the henge of an old woman was troublesome and according to the Hokage Naruto's apartment was under full stakeout by members of both fan clubs as well as the Hyūgas. Suffice it to say the Hyūga heiress was not happy to say the least. ' _Oh well, even if it's a mission at least I'll be free to do what I want with Naruto-kun_ ….' she thought with a slight blush. Hinata greeted the two sentries in her usual kind manner.

One of the sentries named Hyūga Fuso said passionately, "Hinata-sama, we all want you to know that _every_ red blooded male in the Hyūga clan is firmly behind _Team Hinata_."

Hinata got a completely flat look on her face and sweat dropped. She was too dumbfounded at Fuso's fervent declaration to be angry or upset. "I thank you for informing me about this Fuso-san. I'll be going now." ' _Oh gods….the fan club has invaded my own home. I am_ _ **so**_ _very glad for this mission_.'

About the time Hinata entered the main house and took her sandals off her little sister Hanabi came dashing up. "Nee-chan; we need to talk in private." whispered the younger sibling.

Hinata groaned slightly and followed Hanabi to her room. Once Hanabi closed the door Hinata said, "I'm rather tired from a long mission Hanabi-chan. What is it that is so important?"

"It's about your _Team Hinata_ _Fan Club_ Nee-chan. The whole compound has been buzzing about _Team Hinata_ and Father is furious. The Elders are upset as well.

Hinata's eyes widened. " **Surely** none of them believe I had any part in this. I would never-"

Hanabi nodded in understanding. "Everyone knows that you have nothing to do with this. The issue is all about money."

The older sister looked confused. "What about money?"

"Father wants to stop this fan club and sue them for damages for using your image without permission and trying to slander your reputation as an upstanding heiress of our clan." explained Hanabi. Hinata nodded in understanding and agreement. "The problem is the Elders want the _Team Hinata Fan Club_ to keep going under Hyūga control because the clan stands to make a fortune from it. The Elders even asked me to help since we are close and I told them **no way**. There have already been dozens of foreign nobles asking for your hand in marriage because they got the t-shirts, trading cards and posters of you over the last week or so."

' _TRADING CARDS?!_ _It looks like I'll have to murder the so called 'honorable' Elders_.' thought Hinata to herself as she blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I'm sure that Otou-sama will whip the Elders into line on this issue. I feel a migraine coming on. I need to bathe after my trip."

Hanabi nodded, "I'll bathe with you Nee-chan so I can guard in case of a paparazzi attack. Besides, I just got done training myself."

' _What is this world coming too?_ ' thought Hinata with a mental groan. ' _I need one of Naruto-kun's back rubs_ ….'

…

 **Naruto's apartment**

Seeing a mob of reporters and fanboys surrounding his apartment Naruto decided to bite the bullet and head there regardless of the consequences. He had to pack for a long term mission and the only way to do it was to get inside his apartment. Amidst questions of whether he supported _Team Hinata_ or _Team Esdeath_ (among other things) Naruto quietly pushed people aside to get to his apartment. Between the camera flashes and all the noise Naruto was seriously considering going medieval on their asses but he managed to get into his apartment and lock the door behind him.

The blonde entered his mindscape and saw Kurama there with his tails twitching irritably. " ** _Well, out of the frying pan and into the fire_**." stated the wizened fox. " ** _You managed to maneuver having two mates that will actually share you only to fall into a trapdoor of their screaming fans. Perhaps you should sleep somewhere else tonight. It's obvious those maniacs aren't going to give you any rest from the beating on the door. I wouldn't be surprised for them to use a battering ram at this rate_**."

Naruto nodded. ' _After I pack everything and escape the apartment I'm going to see if I can crash over at Iruka-sensei's place for the night_.'

" ** _Just don't get spotted Naruto_**." advised Kurama. " ** _The last thing you want is for others to get dragged into this mess_**."

The orange loving ninja grinned. ' _Just remember I'm sly and tricky as a fox Kurama_.'

Kurama chuckled and said, " ** _Those are some of your best qualities_**."

Naruto made a group of shadow clones to pack everything and carefully entered sage mode to sense where all the paparazzi were. An hour later he was packed and had taken a shower. After that he body flickered up to the roof and made good his escape….

….

 **Leone and Akame's apartment**

Esdeath was staying with Leone and Akame for the night. Sakura had retrieved Esdeath's few belongings and packed them into a scroll for the trip. Esdeath was in a _bad mood_. A _Team Esdeath Fan Club_ member had asked her to sign his limited edition ' _Hot Bodies_ ' trading cards with her in them and the light blue haired beauty almost lost it. It took the combined efforts of Akame, Leone and Sakura to keep her from freezing the little pervert's balls off. ' _Humph, I need my Naruto-kun. A good back rub would take all this tension away..._.' she thought with a slight blush and a giggle.

Hearing the most sadistic General in the history of the Empire giggling like a schoolgirl had Leone _seriously_ disturbed. She looked over her shoulder and saw Esdeath blushing with a happy smile on her face with her hands on her cheeks and Leone's golden eyes bugged out. ' _Okay, this is_ _ **much**_ _more frightening than Esdeath coming at me in battle with her rapier drawn!_ '

For her part Akame couldn't decide if Esdeath looked cute or positively insane this way. So Akame simply kept her expression neutral. She saw Leone was freaking out and said; "Dinner will be ready in an hour or so Leone. I hope you like what we are having Esdeath because I don't think dining out is an option for you right now."

Esdeath turned her attention to the red eyed assassin and said, "I'm sure it's fine; what are we having for dinner?"

" ** _Meat_**." answered Akame. Soon Esdeath was introduced to the walking carnivorous appetite known as Akame….

….

 **The Haruno residence**

"It will probably be at least two or three months including travel time. It might be longer." Sakura explained to her parents. "I know you don't like it but I am a kunoichi and they need an experienced medic."

Mebuki sighed, "We know that you have missions Sakura-chan but your Father and I can't help but worry about you. Is there any way you can contact us by letter or something to tell us you are okay?"

Sakura shook her head. "I'm afraid not Mom. This is long range and I can't say anymore than that."

Kizashi said, "Well, at least you have Naruto going with you to help. I've grown to respect that young man for all he's done."

"You just make sure you keep Naruto in line." said Mebuki. "He's always been a bit of a trouble magnet."

Sakura laughed. "Naruto is okay; he just can't help himself. I promise to watch him though. You never know when he'll do something totally off the wall."

….

 **Konoha Front Gates**

The team of three ninjas and three Teigu users assembled and signed out at the front gates at five A.M. the next morning. Mercifully they managed to slip away without a crowd spotting them and set out for Port City. Esdeath was still not at one hundred percent but she was feeling good and keeping up fine. They stopped about four hours later and had a large meal at a local village restaurant before setting out again.

"Naruto-kun, how long will it take to get to Port City at our current rate?" asked Esdeath.

"We should be there by nightfall unless we run into problems at our current rate Esdeath-chan." answered Naruto with a warm smile.

Sakura nodded. "We were travelling at a civilian pace before Esdeath-san. We should be able to stay in Port City and relax tonight at one of the hotels. The ship we're supposed to board leaves tomorrow afternoon so we should have plenty of time. I'm actually kind of excited. I've never been on an ocean going ship before. From what I've seen they are huge."

Hinata smiled, "I guess we'll have two weeks at sea so it should be interesting. How was your trip over Akame; Leone?"

"Actually we were on a cargo vessel instead of a passenger ship so it was pretty miserable." answered Leone. "This time we'll be travelling in style, right Akame-chan?"

The red eyed girl said dourly, "Well, it should be better sleeping in cabins instead of in a hammock strung on the cargo deck."

 **The Road to Port City**

In the late afternoon the Konoha group was nearing Port City. The team was ahead of schedule and they were generally in good spirits. Naruto, Hinata and Sakura were listening to a description of the port they would be sailing to on the Imperial Continent from Esdeath with Akame and Leone making comments from time to time. At that moment an obviously rich twenty something year old man on horseback rode up with a small force of thirty or so samurai following him on foot and promptly blocked the road. They were all well dressed but didn't appear all that well trained judging by their stances. The man on the horse was holding an ornate paper fan which he snapped shut upon seeing the Konoha ninjas and Teigu users. He made a show of snapping his fingers and a page came forward. They exchanged words briefly and then the page came up to the Konoha group holding a white flag of truce and looked at directly at Naruto. He then looked at a picture in his hand and then back at Naruto several times. Finally he said, "You in orange; are you _the_ Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha?"

Naruto's entire group sweat dropped at the man's odd behavior. The orange loving ninja said, "Yes, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Can I help you?" The strange page bowed and thanked him before he retreated back to the rich man on horseback.

After the page spoke to his apparent leader the man on horseback cleared his throat dramatically. He then pointed his closed fan directly at Naruto and said authoritatively (from a safe distance), " _Uzumaki Naruto!_ You cad! You womanizer! Unhand the fair and beautiful Esdeath-sama and Hinata-sama this instant. Free those three other women as well; they have no idea what a charlatan you are claiming a noble heritage to seduce them. I, Prince Sondaina of Red Bean Jam Country** will rescue these fair maidens from your lecherous grasp once and for all!"

Naruto's eyes got a bit wide and said, "Ummm….I think there has been a huge misunderstanding here sir."

Prince Sondaina bellowed, "Your devilishly silver tongue won't save you from me evil seducer of innocent women! I will rescue them by force if necessary so if you know what's good for you then you'll release the naive ladies from your vile clutches this instant!" The Prince made a hand motion and one of the samurai fired an arrow that landed about five feet in front of Naruto's party. "You are trying my patience nefarious one." added the pretentious Prince threateningly. "This is your final warning or you'll face the full might of my wrath."

Naruto totally lost his temper and said, " _Are you_ _ **kidding**_ _me?! We're on a mission from the_ _ **Hokage!**_ " Kurama's chakra exploded forth and Naruto said in a demonic tone, " ** _Do you really want to do this?! I'll take you all down in a heartbeat!_** " Their opponents felt their sporting blood turning to pigeon potty as the image of the nine tails formed around Naruto.

" _R-r-run!_ " squealed the pompous Prince as his horse lost control of its bowels. The page and the thirty samurai broke into a full scale route as they stumbled over one another trying to get away with Prince Sondaina bringing up the proverbial rear….

….

Sakura watched in silence as the pathetic Prince hastily retreated Kurama's chakra receded back into Naruto. Seeing Naruto had calmed himself she asked, "….Ummm, overkill much? Naruto, your _normal_ killing intent would have been sufficient to send them running I think. That poor horse…."

"Sorry Sakura-chan; I guess I just have had a lot of pent up frustration after what happened in Konoha with the paparazzi and all." said Naruto nervously sweat dropping at his teammate.

Sakura sweat dropped at her teammate's antics. Leone's eyes were opened to the size of dinner plates. "That…. _THAT WAS AWESOME!_ " You're my hero!" said the cat like woman. "Why didn't you show us that when you did that rasenshuriken?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, I didn't want to scare off all the local wildlife."

Esdeath smiled rather hungrily at her boyfriend and kissed his cheek. "I think you putting those peons in their proper place was only appropriate Naruto-kun. I _completely_ approve."

Hinata kissed Naruto's other cheek and said in a sultry tone, "Esdeath and I could have taken care of your stress Naruto-kun. You need to tell us these things."

' _I've got to intervene before they start rutting like animals in the road!_ ' thought Sakura desperately. " _Ahaha!_ Well we'd best get going. Another half hour or so and we'll be in Port City where we can get something to eat."

Everyone's stomachs growled at that thought although Akame's drowned out all the others combined. "I'm hungry for some **_meat_**." the petite assassin said in her usual dainty manner.

"I'm sure they have a barbeque place in town Akame-chan." said Leone patting the shorter girl's head.

Seeing no other obstacles with her byakugan, Hinata said, "It looks like the path is clear from here everybody….and it look like that Prince took off in another direction."

Hopefully we won't run into any more trouble then." said Naruto.

"Let's go!" said Leone excitedly. "We need to get Akame-chan fed before she _turns_ upon us!"

 _Next stop, Port City_...

POSTSCRIPT:

**Yes, Red Bean Jam Country. I wanted to make up a ridiculous name for a minor country and lo and behold there already was one on Narutopedia. Saved me from killing a few brain cells anyway.

Ahhhh! That's a good stopping point. Next chapter the Kurome rescue team will be travelling to the Imperial Continent. What sort of hijinks will ensue as a result? See you next time. Blue out. 1/30/16


	9. Chapter 9

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

Man, thinking up OC's is hard, but inventing new Teigus to go with the new characters is just about mind numbing! There is a bit of an information dump regarding the ship they're travelling on but it's necessary to describe what's going on during the trip. Just a warning, this chapter is really violent so if you are sensitive to these things remember this has an M rating for a reason. There is a warning posted in the chapter for those who want to skip that section. Here is chapter 9 of Naruto: Trapped Under Ice. This chapter is named **Ship of Death Part I**. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _….Well we'd best get going. Another half hour or so and we'll be in Port City where we can get something to eat."_

 _Everyone's stomachs growled at that thought although Akame's drowned out the others. "I'm hungry for some_ _ **meat**_ _." the petite assassin said in her usual dainty manner._

 _"I'm sure they have a barbeque place in town Akame-chan." said Leone patting the shorter girl's head._

 _Seeing no other obstacles with her byakugan, Hinata said, "It looks like the path is clear from here everybody….and it look like that Prince took off in another direction."_

 _Hopefully we won't run into any more trouble then." said Naruto._

 _"Let's go!" said Leone excitedly. "We need to get Akame-chan fed before she_ _turns_ _upon us!"_

 _Next stop, Port City…._

Chapter 9

 **Imperial Capitol**

A new group of Teigu users known as the Requin-Tigres had been assembled at the Prime Minister's behest in the Imperial Capitol. Their job was to deal with the menace of Night Raid once and for all as both the Jaegers and Wild Hunt had failed utterly in the opinion of the Prime Minister. Imperial intelligence led them to Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame and Leone the wielder of the Teigu Lionelle -two of the most dangerous members of Night Raid. The information said the pair was returning to the Empire aboard the cruise liner _Behemoth**_ and the six members of the Requin-Tigres travelled aboard the ship from the Imperial Capitol eager to ambush their unsuspecting prey.

The leader of the Requin-Tigres was a man named Cruauté. He was a nephew to Prime Minister Honest. When his cousin Syura (Honest's son) and his group of Teigu users known as Wild Hunt were wiped out by Night Raid; Cruauté quickly considered himself to be the natural successor to that group. He assembled a new group of Teigu users that were determined to wipe out Night Raid and anyone else who crossed them. They considered the two remaining Jaegers to be their enemies as well due to that group's enmity with Wild Hunt. But that was beside the point for now, the opportunity to eliminate the two members of Night Raid while separated from the main group was simply too good to pass up.

Cruauté was a short, heavily muscled, square jawed man that specialized in close combat styles such as wrestling. He used the Teigu Esgrima which weapon similar in appearance to a nunchaku or chako. It required a highly skilled user and its weighted ends could change density at the user's will which could make a glancing hit into a fatal blow instantly. The length of chain could be extended up to twenty five feet as well making it both a long range and close combat weapon. It was said that the caps on the weighted ends could be made to explode on impact in the hands of a true master.

The other five members of the Requin-Tigres were chosen from criminals of the worst kind in the Empire. Cruauté reasoned that if these kinds of people were willing to do the most inhumane and cruel acts to others of their own accord then in exchange for pardoning them for their crimes and actually getting _paid_ to indulge in their grotesque hobbies that they should be more than happy to serve him. Cruauté may have been corrupt but he was certainly astute with people. His five followers were _more_ than eager to be set loose on society and wreck havoc to their hearts content in exchange for serving Cruauté.

Meurtrier was the first Cruauté hired in this group. He was an assassin for the Empire who enjoyed his job so much that he became addicted to the thrill of taking other's lives. Prime Minister Honest's regime turned a blind eye to the crazed assassin's work until Meurtrier started hunting his superior officers and even generals in the Empire that complained about his methods. He was a tall, almost anorexic looking man who normally wore a hooded cloak. He also was forced to wear a shock collar that kept him from turning on Cruauté. Meurtrier was equipped with the sickle sword Tiegu Falcata known for its ability to cut razor thin like a paper cut through even the strongest metals. It was said that most killed by it didn't even realize they were dead until their head (or wherever they were cut) fell off leaving an explosion of blood behind.

The second member was the heavy hitter of the group. Violeur was a known serial rapist whose most infamous act was at the expense of a group of nuns and was hunted for months by the Empire leaving a trail of dead and broken victims in his wake. He acted more like an animal than a person. The greasy, hairy man was scheduled to be put to death before Cruauté offered him a job. Violeur had a unique Teigu called Gerulphus that was worn as a cape. Activating it allowed the user to assume a werewolf like form. It was created with the same idea that Leone's Lionelle but unlike Lionelle it not only changed a user's shape but it also led one to give in to their baser instincts. Given Violeur's instincts were as base as could be to start with his inhumane acts were only enhanced in a werewolf form and he embraced it totally.

Pyromane was a country bumpkin from the frontier and the third Cruauté recruited. Since he was a child he'd had a fascination with fire. By the time he was in his teens he had become a fully fledged arsonist and terrorized several villages before he himself was caught in one of his own fires and suffered second and third degree burns over half his body. This gave him a heavily scarred and blotchy appearance. Though it was painful to move he became obsessed with ' _letting others share the joy of his flame_ ' and he changed from burning property to burning people alive. How exactly he ended up in a prison in the Capitol was a bit of a mystery but Cruatuté saw potential in him and in return for his loyalty Pyromane was given a fire starter's wet dream: a Tiegu called Cheirosiphōn which sprayed a sticky stream of liquid that ignited on contact with the target. Once it was stuck to a target it was virtually impossible to put out until it ran out of fuel to burn.

The fourth member that joined up was more of a schemer than anything else. Extorqueur was an unusual one compared to the others as he hadn't ever been locked up. He used racketeering and extortion to make a fortune but became so obsessed with someone taking his money that it led to extreme paranoia. He eventually turned upon his underlings using a Tiegu he'd stolen. His expertise with his weapon of choice drew Cruauté's attention and eventually the two came to an agreement. The extortionist would work for Honest's crooked nephew as a mercenary. As long as he got paid handsomely Extorqueur would follow Cruauté loyally. He used a wire type Teigu called Garrote. The wielder had a single, nigh unbreakable piece of razor wire that could be angled or manipulated at the user's will. Garrote could be used as both a tool and as an assassination device. According to the records it was a prototype for the Teigu Cross Tail that the deceased Night Raid member Lubbock was known for.

Sadique was the last member. She was a woman who served the Imperial Army as a torturer and interrogator before she went off the deep end and took her ' _art_ ' to the streets. She also was into self mutilation and had numerous body modifications so she could both give and receive all the pain she wanted. Like Extorqueur she was never in jail –in her case she was in an asylum. Her reputation for being a sadist caught the interest Cruauté and he recruited her straightaway. She used the Tiegu Dreyse, a gun type Teigu which fired shards of jagged metal of various sizes. To Sadique the real beauty of the weapon was it could fire small shards of shrapnel that would torture and deface her victims all she wanted until she grew bored with them. Afterwards she would fire single a large shard of metal that would simply kill her victims. She also was an avid photographer that took pictures of her ' _works of art_.'

Cruauté and his motley crew had travelled a long way to destroy two members of Night Raid….The question was could Cruauté actually control this mob?

 **Fire Country, Port City**

It was early evening when Naruto's group checked into the hotel in Port City. They could see the massive outline the ship _Behemoth_ that they would soon be travelling on. It was silhouetted by the setting sun as it rested gently at anchor. They'd already obtained their tickets and boarding would begin in the morning with the cruise liner departing in the afternoon. It was no surprise to find the hotel was packed and they were only able to get two rooms. One room was for Akame, Leone and Sakura and the other for Naruto, Hinata and Esdeath.

Sadly for Naruto and his girlfriends there would be no fun tonight. The walls were so paper thin that they could hear _everything_ going on around them. Figuring any late night activities would be ruined by others interrupting the three decided to settle in after showering and cuddle in the double bed. Naruto whispered, "Why did you girls decide to share me? I'm really happy and I love you both but you hated each other at first."

Esdeath kissed her boyfriend and said, "That is a secret between us women. Hinata and I are getting along better every day."

Hinata smiled and said, "We decided to do this together and get along Naruto-kun. We both love you and that's all that matters."

 _Flashback…._

 _At the_ _Redwood Hotel_ _both Hinata had showered and dressed and now Naruto was cleaning up in the shower. The two blue haired young women were staring at each other from across the bed. Esdeath finally said, "Alright Hinata, what are we going to do about this? I love him and you love him and this war could only escalate from here. I want Naruto-kun to be mine."_

 _Hinata said, "Do you think you can handle him alone?" Esdeath raised her eyebrows and Hinata continued. "Naruto-kun completely oversexed both of us without taking a break in between. Between his hands and his body I'm going to have a hard time walking. I don't know about you Esdeath but it may take the both of us to tame him in the sack."_

 _Esdeath pondered for a few moments and said, "I can't argue with that logic. I'm still really tender. Alright; for now we'll share him and see how things go. I thought it was just me that was driven absolutely wild. How can he have that much stamina?"_

 _"It's probably due to him having Kurama sealed within him." said Hinata. "I think between the two of us we'll be able to chase his fangirls off for good."_

 _Flashback end…._

Esdeath felt Naruto's breathing level out as he went to sleep. ' _Naruto-kun would never believe why we decided that….It's almost embarrassing_.' thought Esdeath. ' _We agreed to keep those harpies away….and of course, between him and his massages he drives us both insane….not to mention he can make clones to join in the fun. I guess the main thing is we're all really happy. I never imagined I'd be satisfied this way. Still, he's a total animal in bed. Hinata and I always get a workout_.' Giggling mentally Esdeath went to sleep.

Hinata dozed off soon thinking similar thoughts herself….

….

The next morning all six members of the party were up and hadn't had the best night's sleep due to the constant noise permeating the building. Yawning, Leone said, "We didn't hear you three last night. Did you actually _sleep?_ "

Hinata frowned. "The man in the next room over snored as loud as a foghorn last night. None of us slept very well at all. What about you?"

Akame was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "I just hope the ship is better insulated against sound than this hotel."

"Yes, it will be a very long trip otherwise." agreed Esdeath.

 **The Cruise Liner** ** _Behemoth_**

After breakfast the group of six decided to board early and was given a tour around the ship by a middle aged man who introduced himself as the ship's Executive Officer. His Name was Galen and he was a citizen of the Empire. It was obvious by his enthusiasm that the massive ship was his pride and joy. Turning to the group of thirty or so early passengers boarding he said, "Let me officially welcome you aboard. In the next two weeks on our trip to the Western Continent you'll be able to enjoy the luxury of the _Behemoth_ which is one of the crown jewels of the sea."

"For those of you interested in just _how big_ this ship is; the _Behemoth_ weighs 45,000 tons unloaded and is over 900 feet long." There were several amazed murmurs. "She can carry 500 passengers in comfort and travels to the Southern and Western Continents as well as the Elemental Continent. The _Behemoth_ has an impeccable safety record covering over twenty one years. On this trip we will be travelling from Port City here in Fire Country and sailing north and over the Elemental Nations to the Western Sea…."

He led the group on a tour of the promenade deck which had a rather spectacular view. "While at sea we'll be traveling in temperate weather and we'll all be able to enjoy the auroras up north during the middle part of our journey…." Galen's description of the trip and its many features was long but he was an excellent speaker and kept everyone's attention. "Finally we'll reach the Western Continent where we will sail through the Grand Canal to the Capitol. The Grand Canal is over 1500 miles long and will be one of the highlights of our journey." He then turned the many features of the _Behemoth_ itself. "You'll be able to enjoy our onboard swimming pool as well as our gymnasium as well as our spa and saunas. Our many luxurious dining rooms are open to serve you day or night…."

Soon the group was shown to their cabins. Hinata and Naruto (joined by Esdeath) had a luxurious stateroom with a built in bath, Leone and Akame had an identical one across the hall. To the left of Akame and Leone's room was another stateroom designated for Sakura and Esdeath (with Esdeath conspicuously missing)…. _Anyway, suffice it to say Sakura had a room all to herself_. They were on the highest of three decks for passengers on the unimaginatively named upper deck. Below them were two more decks for passengers which were the middle and lower decks. Below that were the ship's hold, machinery and engine rooms. Above them were the promenade deck for viewing, the boat deck and the ship's superstructure where most of the recreational facilities were housed.

 _A few hours later with Akame and Leone_ ….

The two Night Raid members were laying low in their stateroom. Leone was looking at Akame in the mirror. "I don't know Akame-chan, having your hair done up in pigtails like Mein's hair is pretty good and the sunglasses don't hurt. I feel pretty lucky not being on wanted posters all over the capitol so I don't have to travel incognito. It's still good that you, Esdeath and I are using false names though. I still wish we could have forced Esdeath to where that bonnet as a disguise regardless…."

"You really do have a death wish Leone." said Akame with a sigh. "I still say my hair looks ridiculous in pigtails though…."

 _With Sakura_ ….

The pink haired kunoichi was in her cabin studying a medical textbook on the side effects of drugs and the various damages it could cause to the human body. She'd practically sealed up a library on the subject in a scroll. Naruto had already agreed to map the ship via shadow clones so Sakura figured this was the best for now….

 _With Naruto_ ….

The orange loving ninja was in at t-shirt and shorts up on the boat deck sunning himself….or that's what it looked like. Actually he was meditating while expanding his sensory ninjutsu. People were still coming and going a great deal and the ship wouldn't leave until the afternoon rolled around….Still, he could sense some strong sources of negative emotions….negative to the degree of being murderous. He would zoom in on these points given some time….

 _With Esdeath and Hinata_ ….

Esdeath was looking in the mirror at her newly braided hair courtesy of Hinata. "Well, I have to admit it doesn't look bad this way Hinata. With my hair pulled back in a single braid it really does change my appearance."

"I told you it would be fine Esdeath." said Hinata. "You need to learn to trust me on these things. Besides, I had to veto Leone's bonnet idea."

"Well, I agree with you." said Esdeath as she turned around. "Now it's your turn to change your look."

Hinata's eyebrows raised, "You want to do my hair?" she asked puzzled.

Esdeath shook her head and gave Hinata an evil, psychotic smile. "No; I'm going to teach you my patented psycho smile to strike absolute fear and terror into others…."

….

That afternoon the _Behemoth_ left Port City with a great deal of fanfare and many people waving goodbye to their families. The Konoha group was enjoying the view from the promenade deck. Several decks up on the bridge Executive Officer Galen was talking with one of his passengers from first class. "Mister Cruauté; there are no passengers on this ship using the names of Akame or Leone. Looking at this picture of the assassin Akame I can tell you I saw a young woman on one of the tours that had rather striking red eyes but those aren't unheard of in the Elemental Nations. Is it possible you are mistaken?"

Cruauté scratched the stubble of his goatee. "No, the next ship outbound from to the Empire is another six weeks off. They're on this ship somewhere. You and Captain Canard are being paid handsomely to help us in our efforts. Keep your eyes open." With that Cruauté left and Galen hoped that violence didn't break out during this trip….

….

 _One Week Later_ ….

The trip had certainly been luxurious so far but everyone was on guard and couldn't get relaxed. All of them in Naruto's group had the feeling they were being shadowed. It was like playing a game of cat and mouse without knowing if you were the predator or prey or even knowing if the enemy existed….Amidst this a series of minor crimes turned up and had everyone concerned. The Captain and crew hadn't confirmed things but rumors were going around amongst the passengers that _something_ was amiss.

The _Behemoth_ was in a state of mild panic when it was finally announced over breakfast that three young women passengers were apparently missing and pictures of them were passed around. Passengers were asked to keep an eye out for them and the Konoha group was discussing it quietly among themselves. Naruto said, "When I use my sensory ninjutsu I have been picking up traces of killing intent from time to time but I haven't been able to pinpoint it exactly. There's at least one above us in first class and two below us down in the third class sections. We're trying to keep a low profile but maybe we should investigate."

"If we go through those decks casually as if we're lost or something we might stumble upon something." said Hinata. "It's better than chasing shadows like we have all week." Truthfully Hinata was a bit irritable. With the group on high alert; she, Esdeath and Naruto hadn't had much alone time at all….

Esdeath was in a similar mood. "I'm all for it. Let's go out and do some hunting." After a few minutes of discussing things they all agreed to do a bit of independent searching around the massive vessel.

 _With Hinata_ ….

The Hyūga heiress had her bykugan activated behind some sunglasses as she travelled around the main deck. Looking up into the bridge and superstructure she noticed something was amiss. Zeroing in she saw two men talking with a man she recognized, the Executive Officer Galen. One of the men was shorter and built very stoutly. He seemed to be carrying a set of nunchaku that glowed like chakra. A man of average build was standing beside him and had a long glove up to his elbow one with a chakra signature as well. ' _Teigu!_ ' thought Hinata as she examined them through the wall.

 **On the bridge**

Cruauté and Extorqueur were quietly assuring Galen that the disappearance of the young women must be Night Raid's doing but Galen wasn't buying it. Galen hissed, "You yourself stated that Night Raid was trying to keep a low profile and would probably stay hidden Mister Cruauté. This idea that they would be kidnapping or killing young women is preposterous!" Truthfully Cruauté was a bit tongue-tied at his suggestion being blown out of the proverbial water.

"Now, now Galen." said Extorqueur smoothly. "These people are _assassins_ and may actually be _addicted_ to killing. I've seen it happen before with serial killers in the Capitol. Once they get a taste of it they just can't stop themselves." _Of course, he'd just described his Requin-Tigres teammate Meurtrier perfectly….not that Galen knew that_ ….

….

Hinata watched the two Tiegu users exit the bridge and headed out on the opposite side of the superstructure. Unfortunately it was broad daylight so she couldn't use chakra to hop through the ship's upper works to pursue them. By the time Hinata was able to circumnavigate the ship's forward superstructure at a civilian walking pace the two men had vanished below decks….

* **Violence starts** *****

 _With Sakura_ ….

Sakura was wandering through the promenade deck. Truthfully she was in a set pattern but that wasn't apparent to onlookers. She just appeared to be another passenger touring the ship in a red t-shirt and white shorts (she was still wearing her combat mesh underneath the ensemble for safety). Casually passing by a cabin in first class heading towards the recreation deck and she caught the distinct smell of blood permeating the air around a cabin. It was heavy enough that it reminded her of the smells of surgery and death. The rosette steeled herself and after looking around and finding the hallway empty she picked the lock to the room in silence. Opening the cabin door she saw the remains of six young women….all violently raped to death and partially dismembered. Their empty eyes stared at her forever etched in horror and pain. If she hadn't seen so much in the war she would have gotten sick at the sight. She shed a tear and thought, ' _I guess three of these must be the missing girls. I'd better report this. I'll just say the door was ajar. I should withdraw_.' Then she heard a noise from the private bath in the room and a naked, wet, hairy man came into view.

Seeing the intruder he rushed between her and the exit and slammed the door. He then cackled in a disturbing way and said, "Welcome to my den little girl, let's see if that pink hair of yours is natural…." He stroked his growing erection at the idea of adding another girl to his collection. "I have to tell you, being locked in a cabin all alone sucks. Cruauté just doesn't understand that a man has _needs_ …." He grabbed his cape like Teigu and transformed before Sakura's astounded eyes into a werewolf like appearance. He lunged at her but Sakura body flickered to the opposite side of the room before he could strike.

"Just what the hell are you monster?" asked Sakura as she slipped on her fighting gloves.

The wolf like man laughed/growled in a bestial tone, "Playing hard to get? I like it when they try to fight me. I'm Violeur and I'm going to give you the best time of your life!"

Sakura's emerald eyes turned hard as diamonds. "I'm going to kill you butcher…."

Violeur licked his wolf like chops and charged….Only to be met by a chakra enhanced punch that smashed his muzzle and sent him flying. Stumbling back up he started shedding tears and said, "You….you broke my nose you cunt! I'll kill you and then have fun with your corpse!" He struck much faster this time and caught Sakura off guard knocking her back into the water of the tub that was filled with blood and other bodily substances. Sakura's head cracked the tile and it stunned her. She heard him roar; "Take it bitch!" as he grabbed her throat with his clawed hand and forced her head under the foul waters. She gasped when she felt his claws rip her shorts on one side and slice her thigh. She felt Violeur trying to force himself upon her but her combat mesh kept him from getting anywhere.

Sakura's eyes widened further when he yanked her head out of the water and got face to face, "What is with you bitch? Why can't I have my way?!" Then he smiled through his broken muzzle. "I guess I'll try a different hole then…."

The pink haired medic choked out, "You really enjoy rape don't you?" The hatred in her eyes was burning.

The wolf-like man laughed and said, "I live for it! I can't wait to see the broken look in your eyes as I take you again and again." He felt her hand grip his throbbing member and grinned.

"You won't be needing this then!" Sakura growled. Digging her fingers into his erection and his testicles she activated her chakra scalpels and violently tore his member off in a spray of blood and gore….

The werewolf's eyes widened and it took his animalistic brain a few second to realize what the agony in what was left of his groin meant. He let get of Sakura and gravity made her slip down into the filthy water again. He let out a horrible animal like howl of pure agony and stumbled backwards feeling the shredded meat where his weapon of choice used to be….As he fell back against the bathroom wall he saw Sakura stand up like an angry goddess. The filthy water seemed to explode off of her as her chakra spiked to levels not seen since the Fourth Shinobi War. Violeur stared in abject terror and pain and Sakura's chakra seemed to form a visible shell around her fist.

" ** _THIS IS FOR ALL OF YOUR VICTIMS MONSTER!_** " she screamed as she drove her chakra enhanced fist through his chest and turned his heart to pulp. So much was her rage that she drove through his spine, out his back and through the wall behind him. She had gore coating her arm up to the elbow when she pulled it out.

He didn't make a sound. Violeur the serial rapist was dead, forever fused into his partial wolf form by the demolished Teigu now permanently bonded to his back….

Sakura heard noises outside and knew this would spell disaster if she was revealed. She quickly vanished in a body flicker down to her cabin and spent the next hour and a half scrubbing herself raw to get all of the filth off of her. What she'd seen in that room reminded her of the horrors she'd seen in the prison in Snow Country. Sakura destroyed the ruined casual clothing she'd been wearing and healed her injuries with healing chakra. It was another hour before the medic managed to fully calm herself down….

 _With Naruto_ ….

Naruto was walking around on the lower deck where all the third class cabins were. They were still luxurious but didn't have the attached baths like second and first class. But the floor felt _hot_ to the orange loving ninja. Naruto reached out and sensed something below him; _murderous_ killing intent. Naruto had been attempting to pinpoint it for a while and he figured it was a floor or two down. He saw a stairway down the hall that led downwards with the simple sign by the open door, ' _Ship's Hold-Do Not Enter_.' Cautiously entering, the blonde travelled down the two flights of steps in silence and came to the door at the bottom. That's when heard below him someone singing/shrieking in a high pitched voice:

' _Dance around the pretty flames, and then I do it all again._

 _Soon this place will be your pyre, as I set you all afire_.'

Naruto cracked open the door and saw several bodies tied up to a vertical support pole. They were totally engulfed in flames and were _mercifully_ already dead. It looked like the room was an empty cargo hold and whatever had been in it was piled up and used as fuel for the fire. Naruto said a silent prayer for the dead and then he saw the source of the singing. A man was _dancing_ in the low light around the flames and he had a very macabre appearance. He was just dressed in black shorts that contrasted with his white, scarred and discolored skin. He was singing and merrily spraying liquid that caused the fire to flare up out of some gun like apparatus.

The blonde ninja was absolutely sickened by this freak and slammed him with a crushing amount of killing intent. The man collapsed to the floor as if under a massive physical pressure and looked at Naruto silhouetted by his own chakra flaring. Naruto's eyes held death in them for this _….thing_. " ** _What have you done?_** " asked Naruto in a demonic tone of voice.

" _They were cold so I….I warmed them up! You look cold too!_ " The man pointed the flame throwing device at Naruto and it shot a stream of liquid fire. " _Burn!_ " shrieked the man. " _Burn; burn, burn with the rest!_ "

Naruto calmly raised a hand and said, "Water encampment wall." With the amount of chakra Naruto put in the normally minor defensive jutsu the wall expanded over to the man and put his flame device out. "What are you going to do now fire starter?"

The man stared dumbfounded. " _I'm not fire starter; I'm **Pyromane**! Don't you forget it!_ " shrieked the now named Pyromane. " _You have a Teigu too but it's no match for my_ _ **Cheirosiphōn**_ _! I'll set you all alight!_ " The flame Teigu reignited.

"Damn you; _water needles!_ " roared Naruto as the water turned to thousands of tiny chakra laced needles.

Pyromane tried to leap out of the path of the needles but his left arm and part of his shoulder were blown off in a shotgun like blast effect from the needles. The deranged arsonist screamed in agony before he turned his own weapon on the stump that was once his shoulder and cauterized it. Unfortunately for him; due to the nature of his Teigu it didn't stop burning his shoulder and it began to spread out over his already defaced body. Pyromane dropped the Cheirosiphōn and tried to smother the fire with his good hand which only caused it to ignite as well. Screaming, Pyromane shuddered and spasmed as his body burned and melted. He screeched, " ** _D-damn you!_** _Night R-raid is as good as dead! The other five will_ _ **killll**_ _you!_ "

As the Requin-Tigres member fell to the floor and continued to lunge about Naruto picked up the now cooled Cheirosiphōn and took it to seal in a scroll. Pyromane lurched feebly and choked out " ** _M-mine!_** " in a voice borne of hell.

Naruto shook his head and said, "Not any more. I'm sending **you** to hell!" He cast a wind jutsu and watched stonily as the oxygen superheated the flames slowly burning Pyromane alive. The maniac's screams grew higher and higher pitched until the flames turned white hot a cremated him alive…there was nothing left but a scorch mark in the shape of his body that proved the madman once existed.

After that Naruto used a vacuum wave jutsu to suck all the oxygen out of the air and the flames were extinguished. He then sealed the Cheirosiphōn in a scroll and applied a henge before running upstairs and reporting frantically that there was smoke downstairs to a crewmember. Amidst the disorder and confusion caused by the crew rushing to put the possible fire out and the passengers panicking Naruto easily slipped away without leaving a trace he'd been there….

* **Violence ends** *****

When the charnel house that was once Violeur's cabin was discovered; chaos broke out aboard the _Behemoth_. The following fire disaster with Pyromane on the hold deck only added to the pandemonium. The fires were out and the bodies accounted for by the crew but the damage was done. Eighteen people were dead and though Pyromane's body was destroyed the impression of his screaming corpse was literally _burned_ into the floor making the total nineteen. Captain Canard had the whole crew on security detail but they weren't trained for combat and were very afraid. On paper the crises had passed but Canard and Galen were both worried for the safety ship's passengers and crew. They had a grim feeling that the Requin-Tigres were the root of the problem and Night Raid (assuming they were even aboard) may be the solution.

It had been a long day for all involved….

 **Naruto, Esdeath and Hinata's cabin**

"You're absolutely sure he said Cruauté, Sakura?" asked Esdeath.

Sakura nodded. "The exact phrase Violeur used was ' _Cruauté just doesn't understand that a man has needs.'_ That would lead me to believe this Cruauté person was his leader."

"And Pyromane said the other five would kill us and Night Raid was as good as dead." added Naruto.

Esdeath chuckled coldly. "Cruauté is Prime Minister Honest's favorite nephew. I truly doubt Honest will shed a tear at his passing but it's the thought that counts. Killing more of his family will remind him a bit more of his own mortality."

"Agreed." said Akame. "Since Pyromane probably had no idea that Violeur was dead that would mean Cruauté and five other Tiegu users have formed some kind of group. We've eliminated two of them and Hinata spotted two others. What does Cruauté look like Esdeath?"

"Cruauté is short and built very powerful like a wrestler." answered Esdeath. "I saw him do some grappling. Hand to hand he's quite formidable."

"That's probably who I saw with the nunchaku Teigu then." said Hinata.

"Maybe we can deliver Cruauté's head in a box to the Prime Minster." said Leone coldly.

 **That evening in Cruatuté's cabin**

Cruauté was absolutely _shocked_. Both Violeur and Pyromane were dead and they had died _violently_. His excuses with Captain Canard and Galen to cover the crimes of his subordinates had fallen on deaf ears and the Requin-Tigres looked like complete fools. There wasn't enough evidence to explain who his men had been killed by and the carnage surrounding them didn't help. Truthfully the Prime Minister's nephew was afraid. He felt that his group was ruthless enough to be invincible but now Cruauté was more concerned with just surviving this trip. There was still a week before they reached the Imperial Capitol and two of his team members were dead at the hands of Night Raid as far as he knew.

He said a prayer that night to any deity that would listen…. _too bad his soul was so black that even an evil deity would have turned him away_ ….

POSTSCRIPT

**I based this ship on the Olympic Class ocean liners which included the RMS Titanic. They are very well documented and are appropriately old school considering the Empire's level of technology. The Behemoth pretty much looks like the Titanic with three stacks instead of four in its general layout.

Truthfully, I don't know how this chapter is going to be received. Akame ga Kiru is _dark_ and I'm trying to reflect some of that. The scenes that I wrote with the warning were tamer than I expected after rereading them but still, even _attempted_ rape is pretty bad and I had to draw the line somewhere. As for Cruauté and his cronies I'm really not sure how bad it's going to get or how many (if any) of them will survive this. I was originally planning to sink the _Behemoth_ in a boiler explosion this chapter but I decided that weeks of floundering around in lifeboats would be pretty boring to read. The next chapter is appropriately but unimaginatively named _Ship of Death Part II_. See you next time. Blue out. 2/2/16


	10. Chapter 10

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I want to thank **Lord Farsight** for correcting my (really) broken French on this and last chapter. Google Translate was _not_ my friend! Just as an informal poll; since the Akame ga Kiru timeline is an AU (Tatsumi's dead) I have a bit of play here. Does anyone think I should bring Chelsea in (I.E. she never died) or have her dead like in canon? Just wondering if people like the character. This chapter is **Ship of Death Part II**. Enjoy!

[ ] Signifies hand signals

Last time:

 ** _That evening in Cruatuté's cabin_**

 _Cruauté was absolutely_ _shocked_ _. Both Violeur and Pyromane were dead and they had died_ _violently_ _. His excuses with Captain Canard and Galen to cover the crimes of his subordinates had fallen on deaf ears and the Requins-Tigres looked like complete fools. There wasn't enough evidence to explain who his men had been killed by and the carnage surrounding them didn't help. Truthfully the Prime Minister's nephew was afraid. He felt that his group was ruthless enough to be invincible but now Cruauté was more concerned with just surviving this trip. There was still a week before they reached the Imperial Capitol and two of his team members were dead at the hands of Night Raid as far as he knew._

 _He said a prayer that night to any deity that would listen…._ _too bad his soul was so black that even an evil deity would have turned him away…._

Chapter 10

 **The Cruise Liner** ** _Behemoth_**

It was afternoon Executive Officer Galen had just finished supervising the cleanup from the many deaths. He was exhausted and was sitting in his simple but nice cabin to try to relax. Galen was pondering what exactly he'd gotten himself caught up in. Captain Canard said that if they didn't cooperate with Cruauté that both he and Galen would come to harm. Still, seventeen passengers had died yesterday and Galen's duty was to protect his passengers and crew at all costs. He ran his hand through his slightly graying hair and took out a glass and some brandy. He wasn't a heavy drinker but he needed to calm down and his head was killing him. ' _Perhaps there is some way out of this. Maybe a solution will present itself_.' As the middle aged man sat down and poured himself a drink he heard a knock on his door. ' _Who could that be?_ ' he thought tiredly.

When he slowly opened his cabin door he saw an absolutely ravishing red headed young lady with green eyes and a pretty smile adorning her face. Her dress attenuated all of her feminine curves and poor Galen was struck speechless. She had amusement in her eyes and said in a kind voice, "Officer Galen; I'm so glad to meet you face to face. I'm Minako and I've wanted to talk to you ever since you gave us that wonderful tour of the ship. May I come in?"

Feeling a bit nervous Galen said, "Ah, certainly Miss Minako. Please come in."

The young lady came in and looked around before saying, "I see your room is neat and tidy just as I imagined."

"Please feel free to sit down and join me." said Galen. "I was just about to have a drink. Do you like brandy?"

Minako smiled and said, "Thank you but I'll pass. I don't drink alcohol. Feel free to have your drink though." Galen nodded and sat down across from her at the table. She said, "Things have been unexpectedly tense on this cruise."

Galen nodded somberly. "Believe me I know. I'm horrified at what has happened. I failed in my duties to assure the safety of my passengers. It's so heartbreaking."

Minako nodded. "You're a good man Mister Galen. Oh, I almost forgot. Here is my card." She pulled a business card out of her purse and slid it face down across the table to Galen. He was a bit puzzled and he turned the card over. On it was a caricature of a black owl with the moon in the background and below the picture it said _NIGHT RAID_. His eyes widened and he gasped. Looking up he saw Minako's face was as serene as ever and she said, "We are interested in helping you with your predicament. Cruauté and his little group are a cancer on society they need to be surgically removed. Will you help with us?"

 **The Imperial Continent, Night Raid's Hideout**

Najenda sat smoking a cigarette and pondering Akame and Leone's mission. They were scheduled to return on the liner _Behemoth_ at the end of the week _if_ they were successful and on time. If not they would return on the liner _Leviathan_ in six weeks whether their mission was a success or a failure.

"Boss, do you think they're all right?" asked Mein**. "It's possible Esdeath turned on them you know."

Najenda turned to her pink haired companion. "I know it's hard to believe but I know Esdeath's personality. When she and I went to Officer's school together and served as comrades together we were friends. Trust me Mein. Esdeath will relish at the chance to get revenge on the Empire. I'm more concerned that Akame and Leone won't be able to find her than I am about Esdeath joining us. How are you feeling? Have you fully recovered?"

Mein nodded. "I'm back at full strength but without Pumpkin I'm kind of useless. I can still use my sniper abilities with a conventional rifle but it's not the same. I feel like I won't be able to pull my weight in Night Raid without my Teigu."

Blowing out a puff of smoke, Najenda said, "I've already got headquarters searching for a new weapon for you Mein. Your skill is far too great to be regulated to the rear lines. I need you here. I'm hoping there's a Teigu or Shingu out there that will be compatible with your skill set. For now keep practicing with conventional weapons. Night Raid needs you Mein so don't give up so easily. Without you we couldn't have defeated General Budo."

Mein felt a bit better about herself and said, "Well, I can't wait to hear from Akame and Leone what the Elemental Continent is like."

Najenda nodded in agreement. "I guess we should enjoy the down time while we can. Knowing them they had a wild adventure."

 **The Cruise Liner** ** _Behemoth_**

'Minako' arrived at Naruto's cabin. Letting herself in she saw the others were all gathered there and dropped her henge revealing she was in fact, Hinata. "How did it go Hinata-chan?" asked Naruto.

Hinata smiled. "I have they names of all the members of Cruauté's little group. There were six of them and they call themselves the _Requin-Tigres_. The four that are still alive are apparently a bit frightened and Cruauté is hoping to hide out the rest of the cruise. Both Captain Canard and Executive Officer Galen have given us carte blanche on dealing with them. As long as they aren't implicated they want the Requin-Tigres _eliminated_."

Akame nodded. "Night Raid will accept this job. Do you have their cabin numbers?"

"I have their cabin numbers and four master key copies to enter their rooms easily." answered the Hyūga heiress. "It should be a piece of cake to get the drop on them with these. The only thing we don't know about is their Teigu weapons."

"Let's strike tonight while the iron is hot and they are still off balance." said Esdeath.

Everyone was in agreement about that….

 **Dining hall, that evening** ….

Cruauté and Extorqueur were enjoying a sumptuous meal in the ship's main dining room. Being the only members of the Requin-Tigres that didn't stand out in a crowd they could actually be seen in public without raising any suspicion. Sadique and Meurtrier were presumably dining in their cabins. Cruauté said shakily, "I saw Violeur's body. Someone drove their first completely through his chest and castrated him. "I can only guess it was the one called Leone. How did they find us?"

"Violeur and Pyromane were practically _advertising_ their locations boss." said Extorqueur between bites. You ordered Sadique and Meurtrier to lay low and they haven't caused any trouble. "I don't think there's anything to worry about."

Sitting a table over from the two Requin-Tigres members were Naruto and Sakura who were accessing the situation. Using chakra to enhance their hearing both of them could easily overhear what the two Requin-Tigres members were saying. Hinata was watching at long range with her byakugan as Sakura signed, [Meurtrier and Sadique should be in their rooms. These two can be ambushed later.] Hinata stood up and nodded visibly to Sakura before she left to inform the others.

….

"I'll take Sadique." said Hinata. "She's an unknown quantity and I can see through walls."

Akame nodded. "Meurtrier was a known assassin with swords before he fell off the scene. He was already famous in the Capitol. I'm best equipped to deal with him."

"I'll take care of Cruauté." said Esdeath. He'll need to be interrogated and I am _very_ qualified to do so. Besides, he and I have _much_ to catch up on."

Leone winced slightly. "No doubt there. I guess that leaves Extorqueur for me. I'll just wait in his cabin for him to give him a warm welcome home."

 **Extorqueur's Cabin**

Two hours later Extorqueur came stumbling back to his cabin just a tad tipsy. He'd stopped in and visited Sadique to update her on the situation and informed her that the boss was overreacting but to lay low just in case. Entering his cabin he removed his expensive suit jacket and took off his Teigu Garrote. He then strung part of its wire carefully with the wire in basic x patterns to bar entry to the door. "That will keep Night Raid or anyone else from bothering me. Garrote is the perfect defense. Anyone who tries to break in will be cut up with razor wire." he thought aloud.

Leone's ears perked up. ' _He's got a weapon like Lubbo did but_ _ **he took it off**_ _? Lubbock wore his even in his sleep. This idiot is drunk and defenseless_.'

Extorqueur dragged himself into his bathroom and took a long leak. Coming out in his underwear he stretched and yawned. He turned off the bedroom light and said, "Man I needed that. Now off to be-" His eyes widened as Leone's clawed hand gripped his throat like a vise and lifted him of the floor as if he weighed _nothing_. He made a choking sound as he used his hands to try to pry Leone's iron grip off of him.

Leone's cat like gold eyes glittered in the low light. "Don't you know that no place is safe from Night Raid? You are completely unarmed and I'm completely without mercy." She crushed his windpipe with pitiable ease as the light left his eyes forever. Dropping his corpse to the floor she said, "You should consider yourself lucky for getting killed by such a hot babe." Leone carefully wound up the Garrote's wire and pocketed the glove like Teigu. Turning out the lights in the cabin she shook her head. ' _Damn that guy was a waste of space. Just how did he end up with a Teigu to begin with?_ ' She closed the door to the cabin on the way out and blended in with the evening crowds….

 **With Cruauté** ….

The leader of the Requin-Tigres went down to inform Meurtrier of the situation. "I've got Extorqueur checking on Sadique and we'll meet up in the morning. We need to be cautious."

"It sounds like you're getting cold feet Cruauté." chuckled the assassin. "I know enough about Night Raid to not get killed like Violeur and Pyromane. I've been in the assassin business for a long time."

"Still, we can't afford to expose ourselves." whispered Cruauté. "They could be watching us as we speak."

Meurtrier laughed. "You're being paranoid _oh great leader_. This is pitiable. You'd best go back to your cabin and hide under the bed."

Cruauté could only curse under his breath at Meurtrier's disparaging remarks. As he stormed away he thought angrily, ' _Damn him!_ _It wasn't supposed to happen this way_ ….'

 **Sadique's Cabin** ….

Hinata was outside of Sadique's cabin watching inside with her byakugan active. ' _Her Teigu is some sort of gun type weapon and she seems to carry it everywhere she goes. She's cautious….or paranoid. I see a case for the Teigu sitting on the bed. It has a chakra signature too_.' The Hyūga heiress waited until Sadique went back into her bedroom to change into her night clothes. Hinata quickly unlocked the door and slipped in silently. Unfortunately Sadique had good instincts and came out of the bedroom with her Teigu Dreyse at ready.

Given she was trigger happy to begin with Sadique opened up on Hinata with two blasts of inch long shards of metal. When the dust settled Sadique saw nothing but a wall full of shards. Hinata had disappeared in a body flicker. The Requin-Tigres' only female member looked around wild eyed only to see Hinata's twin lion fist coming at her full blast from her left. Sadique fell backwards as Hinata's fist took out part of the wall. The gun toting woman yelped in fear and dived back into the bedroom. She fired off several large shards that blew holes through the wall where Hinata was standing….

With her bykugan active Hinata was able to avoid the wildly aimed shots easily. ' _It's clear she's panicking. I don't know if there are limits on how much that gun can fire but I'll have to assume that there is an endless amount of ammunition._ ' A picture across the room from Hinata was damaged and barely hanging by its hook. ' _That should do quite nicely_.' thought Hinata. Picking up a small piece of shrapnel from the floor Hinata expertly darted it at the picture causing the picture and frame to fall to the floor noisily. Sadique heard the noise and rapidly fired off three more shots while Hinata body flickered in the other direction to the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom.

Sadique cautiously poked her head around the corner and peered into the front room. She had the Dreyse in front of her at ready but didn't see Hinata anywhere. The Requin-Tigres member suddenly felt her ribs implode agonizingly as Hinata hit her in the back with an eight trigrams: air palm. Sadique fell forward onto the floor face first and landed amidst the painful shards of metal littering the place that gouged her body. She rolled over to shoot behind her but Hinata was already above her and had her foot pinning the Dreyse to the floor. Sadique wasn't strong enough to throw Hinata off the Dreyse and was too badly injured to fight physically. The gun woman stared up into Hinata's byakugan glare and whispered weakly, "What _are_ you?"

Hinata answered, " **Death**." And the last thing Sadique saw was a juken strike between her eyes that caused her brain to explode into liquid….

The Hyūga heiress quickly pried the Dreyse free of Sadique's death grip and heard the commotion outside from all the gun blasts. People were panicking and calling in alarm to the crew. Deciding it would be better to be elsewhere, Hinata dashed back in the bedroom where the open case for the Dreyse was. Not having time to put the Teigu away she closed the case and took both the Dreyse and its case in hand and vanished in a body flicker.

By the time the crew got into Sadique's room all they found was a dead woman with her brains blown out the back of her head in a gory mess.

That was the second member of the Requin-Tigres to bite the dust that night….

 **Meurtrier's Cabin**

Around midnight that night; Akame counted her way down the hall above the boat deck to the cabin where her target Meurtrier was supposed to be. She saw the light was still on in the cabin window. The young assassin came up to Meurtrier's cabin door and after hearing nothing from within she slipped the master key provided by Galen in silently. She heard a soft click and entered the room like a ghost. There was some food out and book beside the chair as if someone just vacated it. Akame carefully looked about the cabin and saw no one was present. Not disturbing anything she made her way to the exit and closed and locked the door behind her….

Meurtrier had observed all of this from outside. ' _So this is the famous Akame of Night Raid. I'll kill her when she leaves. No need to give away my position. Her head will come off before she even reaches for her sword._ ' Seeing Akame's back as she started walking away Meurtrier licked his lips and thought, ' _The ultimate prey….I really expected a challenge. How disappointing_.' He drew his sickle sword Teigu Falcata that could cut steel as if it was paper in utter silence. He closed on her and swung Falcata in a quick decapitating strike….

Akame spun and drew her blade Murasame with such speed that Meurtrier was barely able to adjust his arc to block her strike. His eyes locked with Akame's cold red ones. He only saw death there when she said emotionlessly, " ** _I will bury you._** "

Sweating heavily as his blade was gradually being pushed back; Meurtrier realized he was going to lose if he stayed deadlocked where he was. ' _Damn she's strong!_ ' The Falcata hadn't cut or even _scratched_ the Murasame as he'd predicted. The tall, lanky assassin finally jumped back and ran for it. _'I had_ _ **every**_ _advantage! I was behind her and my blade was already drawn. I've read about her moves and she doesn't know me at all._ _ **What the hell is she?!**_ ' Meurtrier jumped over the rail down and dashed out onto the boat deck hoping he'd be able to lose Akame in the crowds….sadly the nighttime crowds were staying in their cabins by then due to fear of recent events that the Requin-Tigres themselves had caused. ' _At least it's foggy_.' He thought as he ran out into the darkness.

He ducked in between the life boats hoping to ambush Akame in the fog. Meurtrier carefully tried to sense Akame's killing intent in the silence. He looked up above him and saw a flash of steel. Meurtrier gasped and quickly fell back in between the boats. ' _How did Akame find me?_ ' he thought in panic. ' _That was way too close. I almost lost my head_.' Crawling between the boats he heard nothing but his own heart racing as he felt the perspiration rolling off of his body. His messy black hair was soaked with sweat. When Meurtrier crawled out from under the row of lifeboats the lanky man saw the ship's red signal lamp dimly through the fog. Looking around Meurtrier saw nothing. Then he reacted on instinct and held up the Falcata only to hear the Murasame impact against it. Then Akame's foot collided with his ribs and he saw her silhouette in the red light and the fog.

" ** _You have no prayer._** " said the red eye assassin in a cold monotone.

Meurtrier took the offensive in the fog and darkness. ' _My blade as quicker than hers because it's smaller_.' He smiled nervously. ' _I have the advantage in a straight up sword duel_.' As he moved to close the distance he struck hard and fast but every strike was met and deflected by the Murasame. Meurtrier saw that Akame was keeping him from getting near enough to land a blow on her. That's when he realized she was guiding his blade deftly with the flat edge of her sword. Akame's red eyes seemed to flash in the darkness as sparks flew between the blades repeatedly colliding. ' _S-she's reading me! How can she be reading my moves in the dark?!_ ' He felt the top of his hood get sliced off by Akame's cross slash. Meurtrier fell back and rolled to his feet again in a crouch. Akame had vanished from his line of sight again. He was panting heavily in fear and saw the fog being disturbed by his breath. _'I-I have to calm down and get in a better position_.'

Dashing away from the open areas on the deck Meurtrier moved silently while sticking close to the ship's superstructure so that he was concealed in the darkness. After several minutes of seeing and hearing nothing he heard fabric flap and dove forward as his peripheral vision caught the edge of Akame's black coat in slight wind. Like a phantasm Akame was upon him with the Murasame slicing through the air and striking the Falcata repeatedly from different angles. Meurtrier saw Akame's pale skin flash by in contrast to her jet black hair. Everything moved in slow motion as her red eyes locked with his brown ones and the Falcata was knocked from his hands. Meurtrier watched in horror as it fell onto the deck and slid over the ship's side and into the sea….

The lanky assassin turned around and ran back only to find the unforgiving steel of the Behemoth's superstructure blocking his way. The Murasame was inches from his chest when he turned back around and saw Akame's cold glare. She looked like a beautiful angel of death to him. There was nowhere left to run and Meurtrier flattened himself against the wall as if he was trying to meld with it. His bloodshot eyes widened in terror. " _A-akame of the Demon blade. S-she's the Empire's strongest assassin! I never stood a chance in hell!_ " he didn't realize he'd whispered it aloud. The Murasame stabbed through the soft flesh in the bottom of his jaw, through his hard palate and entered his brain before he could say another word….

" ** _Target eliminated_**." Akame flung the blood off of her blade and stepped back into the darkness without sparing the corpse another glance….

Another of the Requin-Tigres was dead….

 **Cruauté's Cabin** ….

Esdeath had waited patiently for hours and Cruauté hadn't shown up. ' _The bastard's not coming back tonight_.' she growled mentally. She left one of Night Raid's business cards on the lamp table by the bed. ' _That should scare him into wetting the bed when he gets back. When he was scared he would always go to the highest authority and complain. I'd best talk with Captain Canard_ ….'

….

Cruauté slept in one of the guest lounges that night. He had a hangover from drinking all evening after Meurtrier made him so angry with the situation. By morning he just had a bad headache. He cautiously went down to see Extorqueur because the extortionist seemed to be more reasonable than the others. When Cruauté made it to Extorqueur's cabin he knocked several times to wake the man up. "He must be still unconscious from drinking too much." growled the Prime Minister's nephew. Deciding to rattle the door a bit more he found the door wasn't locked and carefully opened it. He checked for the wire trap that Extorqueur always put up and found none. ' _Did he not come back to his cabin last night?_ '

Stepping into the cabin Cruauté looked around warily and finally opened the bedroom door only for his senses to be assaulted by the stench of death. He clicked on the light and saw Extorqueur's body lying in the floor. His face was blue and his neck was bent at an angle that no human being should have. It was like staring at a broken doll in the floor with its empty eyes staring back. Trembling, Cruauté ran out of Extorqueur's cabin in fear. He left the door ajar on the way out as he fled aimlessly….

The leader of the Requin-Tigres finally stopped a while later and panted having run out of breath. He was lost. He quickly found a member of the staff and asked him for directions to the boat deck. Of all Cruauté's minions he figured that Meurtrier was the most likely to be alive. Cruauté eventually made it to Meurtrier's cabin only to find several members of the ships security staff there. Meurtrier's remains had already been hauled off in a body bag and the security staff was gathering up the assassin's personal belongings for his next of kin.

"….Died late last night."

"He was stabbed through the brain for god's sake…."

"….No signs of violence here in his cabin…."

Listening to security Cruauté's brain was spinning and he felt light headed. Meurtrier was most certainly dead. ' _That only leaves Sadique and I alive_ ….' thought the panicky man.

"Sir….sir are you alright?" asked a staff member on the security team.

Cruauté nearly jumped out of his skin. "W-w-what? What is it?"

The staff member asked him, "Are you unwell sir? We have a medical staff if you are feeling ill."

Honest's nephew shook his head rapidly and took off like a shot….the staff just watched perplexed as Cruauté vanished around the corner….

….

By the time Cruauté made it to the lower deck he found a large area was cordoned off leading to Sadique's cabin. "W-what's going on here?" he asked fearfully.

A bystander said to him conspiratorially, "Rumor has it there was a bunch of gunfire down here last night. They say a woman in one of the cabins blew her own head off from what I've heard."

Cruauté was stone cold sober by now. The corrupt man felt his world was imploding around him. After arguing back and forth with himself for nearly an hour he finally decided to wander back towards his cabin. When he got there he found a maid cleaning just outside his cabin door. Struck with a bolt of inspiration he came up to her and said, "Excuse me my dear, do you have a key to open my cabin to clean it?" He reached inside his pocket and bent his key slightly before showed it to her. I'm afraid my key is bent and I haven't been able to get in since last night." he said as he handed her the key. Pouring on the charm he added, "Sleeping in the lounge is quite uncomfortable I'm afraid."

The maid checked his key and said, "You should have checked with a staff member last night sir; I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Any of us could have taken you to bookkeeping to exchange the key." She unlocked his cabin door with her own key and said, "There you are sir." with a friendly smile.

He felt himself tremble as he looked into the cabin. "I'm terribly sorry dear but could you look around for me? With all that's been happening I'm a bit jumpy."

The maid cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow at his odd request. "As you wish sir; but I assure you it's perfectly safe." She went in and turned on the lights making a show of looking around as Cruauté nervously watched from the hall. "Housekeeping must have already come by this morning sir. Everything is spic and span with fresh sheets."

Cruauté sighed heavily in relief, "Thank you my dear; you've been so helpful. I guess I'm just being paranoid. Could you tell me your name? You deserve a bonus for this."

The made blushed slightly. "Anyone would have done the same thing sir." The pink haired maid curtseyed and said, "My name is Haruno Sakura. I found this card by your bed; I assume it must be yours." She then handed him a card that said _NIGHT RAID_ on it.

Honest's nephew's eyes were big as saucers. " **G-G-Gauh! I, I _need_ to see the Captain!** " he screeched before he ran away at top speed in terror.

….Once he ran out of sight Sakura removed her maid henge and was back in casual clothes. "That was too simple." she said darkly. "I hope he doesn't get lost or one of us might have give him directions. Locking Cruauté's cabin door Sakura went the opposite way down the hall….

 **The bridge of the** ** _Behemoth_**

Cruauté dashed up to the bridge in a frenzied panic and basically ran over anyone that was unfortunate enough to be in his way. He saw Galen and demanded, "I want you to tell me where Captain Canard is this instant! My person is in danger and I _demand_ to see him!" He held up the card with _NIGHT RAID_ emblemized on it with a shaking hand.

Galen nodded with wide eyes and said, "This way Mister Cruauté; the Captain is in his office." Travelling hurriedly Galen led Cruauté to a door adjacent to the bridge and knocked before ushering Cruauté into the office where Captain Canard was sitting at his desk facing outwards towards the sea. "I'll make sure you two aren't disturbed." said Galen as he stepped out.

Prime Minister Honest's nephew said hostilely, "The least you can do is turn around and face me old man! I'm the only one left alive!"

The chair pivoted around and revealed…. **Esdeath**. She was sitting in Canard's comfy chair in her full General's regalia. The evil smile on her face and the insane amount of killing intent she was projecting chilled Cruauté to the very marrow…." ** _E-ESDEATH….It can't be….!_** " he whispered loudly. That's when Cruauté felt the air freeze and he saw his own breath in the chilled air. He made to run but found he couldn't. His feet were literally frozen to the floor and he let out a sound between a whimper and a squeal. "E-es-d-dea-t-th…." he rattled out through chattering teeth.

Esdeath glared at him while still smiling at him sadistically. The anger in her eyes made her look demonic to him. Esdeath said sarcastically, "I can't help but feel _touched_ that you remember me Cruauté. How long has it been…? _Two long years_ since your Uncle tried to off me?" She fired two shards of ice into Cruauté's elbow joints and he screamed hollowly. "He made a mistake locking me up instead of killing me when he had the chance. I suppose you wondered just _why_ Night Raid came to the Elemental Continent. It's quite simple; they came to invite me to join them." Seeing the horror in his beady eyes she added, "Naturally I was only _too happy_ to help them grind the Empire into dust." She adjusted her peaked General's cap so the visor covered her eyes in the shadow of her bangs. "What a wonderful gift your Uncle is going to receive soon…."

Cruauté was paralyzed in fear. Esdeath stood up and her heels clicked slightly on the iced over floor. Esdeath walked around behind him and removed the Teigu from his belt at the base of his spine that he'd been reaching for before his elbows were frozen. "So this little trinket is your Teigu." said Esdeath conversationally. She held up the nunchaku and spun it a bit to test its weight. "What is it called?" When he didn't answer instantly Esdeath brutally kneecapped him with his own Teigu causing him to cry out and fall backwards with his feet still frozen to the floor. "I _asked_ you a question!" said the light blue haired woman in a tone that would freeze hell.

Hearing silence Esdeath cracked the same knee again causing the kneecap to shatter and the tendons to snap. Cruauté screamed like one of the damned. " ** _It's Esgrima!_** " he cried out.

"Why don't you tell me what it does then?" asked Esdeath darkly….

….

….Cruauté talked until he had no more secrets to tell. Everything about the Teigus, everything about the Requin-Tigres; He even admitted to stealing from the Emperor's vaults. Cruauté's screams would have deafened the entire ship if Naruto hadn't put up some silencing tags previously at Esdeath's request. The light blue haired beauty looked at Cruauté's frozen, headless body and snarled, "Weakling….so easily broken. You didn't even last three hours. I'm beginning to think Naruto-kun's more efficient methods are best. This wasn't very fun at all." Turning to Captain Canard's desk she looked at decapitated head of Cruauté that was forever frozen in abject horror….and perfectly encased in a block of ice. "I'm glad Leone came up with this idea." she thought aloud. "I'm sure the Prime Minister will just _love_ this little present."

….

The six in Naruto's group decided the last few days of the cruise remaining they should just relax like they'd planned to all along. Captain Canard informed everyone that the crisis was over due to evidence found among the belongings of the deceased that implicated them for their crimes. Oddly enough Executive Officer Galen kept the little _NIGHT RAID_ business card as a memento. The fact that Cruauté was dead and gone didn't bother him in the slightest. The passengers of the _Behemoth_ were safe from the Requin-Tigres now and that was all that mattered….

POSTSCRIPT:

**The English spelling varies between Mein and Mine depending on the source. I prefer Mein because I saw it that way first. I edited chapter 9 and changed it to that spelling as well.

Well this chapter was violent but not like the last one; it's a bit more in my comfort zone. The Requin-Tigres are history. Just as importantly four of the six Teigus they had were recovered. Next chapter we will finally make it to the Imperial Continent and a new arc will start. See you next time. Blue out. 2/5/16


	11. Chapter 11

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I Didn't plan to have this out so quickly but I seem to be on a roll. We're finallystarting the new arc on the Imperial Continent. This chapter is pretty much character building but the action will return soon enough. Here is chapter 11 of _Trapped Under Ice_ _._ Enjoy!

Last time:

 _"_ _Why don't you tell me what it does then?" asked Esdeath darkly…._

 _…_ _.Cruauté talked until he had no more secrets to tell. Everything about the Teigus, everything about the Requin-Tigres; He even admitted to stealing from the Emperor's vaults. Cruauté's screams would have deafened the entire ship if Naruto hadn't put up some silencing tags previously at Esdeath's request. The light blue haired beauty looked at Cruauté's frozen, headless body and snarled, "Weakling….so easily broken. You didn't even last three hours. I'm beginning to think Naruto-kun's more efficient methods are best. This wasn't very fun at all." Turning to Captain Canard's desk she looked at decapitated head of Cruauté that was forever frozen in abject horror….and perfectly encased in a block of ice. "I'm glad Leone came up with this idea." she thought aloud. "I'm sure the Prime Minister will just love this little present."_

 _…_ _._

 _The six in Naruto's group decided the last few days of the cruise remaining they should just relax like they'd planned to all along. Captain Canard informed everyone that the crisis was over due to evidence found among the belongings of the deceased that implicated them for their crimes. Oddly enough Executive Officer Galen kept the little NIGHT RAID business card as a memento. The fact that Cruauté was dead and gone didn't bother him in the slightest. The passengers of the_ _Behemoth_ _were safe from the Requin-Tigres now and that was all that mattered…._

Chapter 11

 **The Imperial Capitol, The Jaeger's Residence**

Kurome awoke in Wave's arms in the early morning. Ever since the night they'd desperately needed each other weeks ago he always slept with Kurome in her room. Something deep inside Kurome stirred. ' _Nee-chan is back….I can feel it. How is it I'm so sure?_ ' The dark eyed girl pondered a few minutes and felt Wave's strong arms wrapped gently around her. She melted into his warmth. ' _Nee-chan; I love Wave and he loves me. That's all that matters to me now_.' Feeling herself lulled back to sleep she thought half dreaming, ' _I want a family with Wave. Maybe I won't fight Akame nee-chan. Maybe Wave is right that we shouldn't fight. Do you feel the same Akame nee-chan...?_ '

Kurome fell back to sleep once again dreaming of having a life and children with Wave. The black haired girl had changed when she fell in love…. _For the first time since she took up being an assassin she actually wanted to_ _ **live**_.

 **The Grand Canal**

Night Raid's best infiltrator Chelsea** was waiting for her comrades Akame and Leone to arrive at the docks where the _Behemoth_ had set anchor in the Grand Canal; given her Teigu 'Gaea Foundation' allowed her to appear as anyone or anything it was easy for her to blend in. Ironically the young assassin was dressed as a Nun of the Path of Peace so the others could easily spot her. Najenda specifically instructed her to get the Night Raid members out as quickly as possible just in case. Chelsea was anxious to see her friends but there were no guarantees they were even aboard. That and Chelsea had a very _healthy_ amount of fear of Esdeath….

 **Aboard the Cruise Liner** ** _Behemoth,_** **Naruto's cabin**

"Fuinjutsu is amazing Naruto-kun!" said Esdeath enthusiastically as she finished the wrapping paper on Prime Minister Honest's 'present.'

Hinata nodded in agreement as show artfully tied a bow on the gift. "You should have learned the sealing arts sooner Naruto-kun. Who would have thought they were so useful?"

Naruto smiled. "I'm still learning but I never thought that I'd be sealing something like _this_."

Esdeath smiled evilly. "We've dropped anchor at the Imperial Capitol so we'll be disembarking soon. I know just the correct channels to get this present delivered to the Prime Minister _directly_."

Naruto quickly sealed the package in a scroll and the three went to retrieve the others in preparation to disembark. Soon all six of them were on the promenade deck looking out at the Imperial Capitol from the ship. The three Konoha ninjas were baffled by the colossal size of the Capitol. "This place is ridiculously huge." commented Sakura. "It's hard to believe anything man made could be so large."

Hinata was looking at the enormous city with her byakugan active. "There is nothing but city as far as I can see Sakura. It is truly monumental. I wonder how long it took to build."

Esdeath said, "The original Imperial Capitol was constructed ages ago and has gradually increased in size for over a thousand years." ' _And I will see it all razed to the ground_.' she thought darkly.

"Well, one thing is for sure. It would be easy to get lost." said Naruto. "We'll need to stick together."

Leone's gold eyes glittered in the sunlight. "It will be nice to finally get back on land." ' _I can't wait to see our friends again_.'

Akame was carefully looking at the huge crowd for a nun in the group. ' _Chelsea will just have to find us. The crowd is just too big; I don't see her anywhere_.'

About an hour later the group disembarked and went through customs which checked them over to a minimal degree. It was clear that the workers there in customs really didn't give a damn if they were carrying contraband or not and the Night Raid group got through unscathed. Esdeath motioned to a Customs Official with some hand signs indicating she was an Imperial spy and handed off the package to him. "This is for the Minister's eyes only. Code is East Wind Rain." The Official got wide eyes, quickly took the gift and departed.

"East Wind Rain?" asked Leone quietly.

Esdeath nodded. "It means it's a delicacy from the Elemental Continent and will spoil if it's not delivered quickly. The fastest way to get anything to the Minister is to give him food." Leone had to cover her mouth to keep from exploding into laughter.

Chelsea came marching up a few minutes later having spotted them and said, "Welcome to the Capitol pilgrims from the East. How long was your trip?"

Akame sighed in relief hearing the correct pass code and knew the Nun was indeed a disguised Chelsea. Akame said, "It took _six long days and six long nights_ to make it to the ship but the trip was successful."

The nun looked a bit taken off guard. " _Six_ days and nights you say? I thought it would take _three_ days at most."

Akame's red eyes locked with Chelsea's. "No, it took _six_. We made many new friends on our successful trip."

Chelsea replied, "Well, after such a long trip you must be exhausted. Come my friends. I have a place where you can rest."

The ninjas easily read this code. ' _I guess the contact was expecting Akame and Leone to return with Esdeath only making three. With us three ninjas added that makes six of us_.' thought Sakura to herself.

Hinata was looking at Chelsea carefully as she led the group walked along. ' _She's using some sort of variation of the henge. How very interesting_.'

Esdeath grasped Naruto's hand subconsciously. _'I can't believe I'm so anxious being back here in the Capitol. I'm so glad Naruto-kun and Hinata are here with me_.' Naruto softly squeezed her hand and Esdeath smiled gently at his reassurance. With her hood up covering her light blue hair no one would recognize her. Akame had a similar hood and cloak on to not be noticed.

Chelsea led the group to a side street and entered a hidden door that had stairs down. It was a back way into Night Raid's Capitol Hideout below the now closed bookstore that Lubbock used to run. Once everyone was inside Chelsea secured the place and deactivated her Teigu revealing her true, red eyed, auburn haired appearance. She asked without preamble, "Why are there _six_ of you Akame?! The boss ordered you to retrieve Esdeath. _Who_ are these other three?"

"That's my responsibility and no one else's." said Akame in a cool tone. "These are our allies. This is Sakura, Hinata and Naruto. Please treat them with respect as they are powerful warriors called ninjas." Akame then turned to Esdeath and said, "Esdeath, this is Chelsea of Night Raid. Chelsea, this is General Esdeath who will be joining our cause against the Empire."

The two young women stared at each other for a moment and Chelsea said, "W-welcome back to the Capitol General Esdeath." in a timid voice.

Esdeath smiled menacingly and was about to scare Chelsea witless but Naruto said, "Be nice Esdeath-chan."

The former Imperial General pouted. "Fine. I am Esdeath of the Partas Clan. I look forward to working together."

Chelsea got stars in her eyes. ' _This blonde guy controls Esdeath! What is he?_ ' "So Blondie, how come you can order Esdeath around?"

Naruto looked a bit shocked and Esdeath growled. He answered, "I don't order Esdeath-chan around; she's one of my girlfriends."

The redhead blinked. "O-one of?"

Leone said, "Give it up Chelsea. Hinata and Esdeath are very stingy and they won't share. They wouldn't let me join in the fun at all."

Hinata grasped Naruto's other hand and smiled kindly. "I'm Hyūga Hinata. It's nice to make your acquaintance Miss Chelsea."

Sakura said, "I'm Haruno Sakura and it's nice to meet you."

Chelsea's brain was still stuck on the plural _girlfriend **(**_ ** _s)_**. "Okay, ummm….Naruto was it?"

"Yep, I'm Uzumaki Naruto; glad to meet you." said the orange loving ninja.

….

About two hours later the group was well on their way out of the Capitol and heading towards Night Raid's Hideout. Chelsea was a bit apprehensive about bringing four unknown quantities to the base (Esdeath alone made her _more_ than nervous) but Akame swore up and down that they were allies. Given Akame had Leone's full support Chelsea gave up and led them back knowing Leone and Akame would do it on their own anyway….

"You call this base _hidden?!_ " asked Naruto. It's not that far from the Capitol*** and it's pretty damned obvious once you see it. I mean it sticks out like a sore thumb." said Naruto looking at the fortress like base.

"It works just fine." scoffed Leone. "We've been here two years and no one has spotted us. The old base was the same until Dr. Stylish attacked and we had to move."

The ninjas all were sporting massive sweat drops at the (by ninja standards) blatantly obvious base. Hinata activated her byakugan and looked at the various traps here and there. Some were better than others but could be avoided easily enough…."Have you all updated your traps lately?" asked Hinata.

"No, why do you ask?" questioned Chelsea as she adjusted the lollipop in her mouth.

Hinata said, "Allow me to demonstrate." She then nimbly maneuvered around, under and over every trap in between them and the entrance to the base and waved from the front entrance.

" _NO FAIR HINATA!_ " bellowed Leone. "You've got super eyes!"

"Any ninja could do the same!" called Hinata in the distance.

"Is that true Naruto-kun?" asked Esdeath curiously. Naruto and Sakura nodded in perfect synch with each other.

Leone said, "Prove it then!" in a challenging voice. Akame just face palmed. Chelsea, Leone, Akame and Esdeath soon saw Naruto and Sakura move in the _exact_ same pattern that Hinata had and were soon waving back at them with Hinata. Then Naruto body flickered back and retrieved Esdeath who squeaked in surprise as Naruto body flickered back to Hinata and Sakura with Esdeath in tow.

"This is just wrong." said Leone with a pout as she, Chelsea and Akame they trudged up the long way to avoid the traps.

Mein had been watching this whole display from a window in the hideout with wide eyes and ran to alert Najenda. ' _They avoided or traps without effort! They can teleport. They must be hostile Teigu users!_ _ **PANIC!**_ ' The pink haired girl raced down to Najenda who was reading a report from Headquarters. Mein busted into the room and said, "Hostile invaders teleporting with Teigus….and….and Esdeath! They got through all our traps! _Give me a rifle!_ "

After Mein's panicked report Najenda simply lit up a cigarette and asked, "Was Akame with them?" Seeing Mein's normally cool head nodding rapidly the General said, "Well, I guess we may as well go down and greet them. If they really were hostile they at least would have attacked by now." She yawned. "They must be Akame's friends or something. Come on Mein."

Mein sweat dropped. "Aren't you being just a little _too_ laissez-faire about this situation Boss?"

The purple eyed General shrugged and said, "Nah. If they were really a threat then Akame wouldn't have brought them. For all that matter if Esdeath was on the offensive this place would probably be slick with ice already." Opening the armored door Najenda saw Esdeath taking off her cloak which revealed her long light blue hair and white General's regalia. Esdeath and Najenda stared at each other for a few moments before Najenda smiled and extended her mechanical hand. "It's good to see you are well Esdeath, I hope that we are comrades once again."

Esdeath looked at Najenda's mechanical hand with a twinge of guilt before she grasped it in a firm handshake and said, "I never thought this would happen. It's good to see you too Najenda. I'm glad we are on the same side once more." The two women smiled at each other briefly and Esdeath said in a sorrowful tone, "Sorry about the arm and eye…."

Najenda said, "I've moved on from the experience. Forget about it. Friends?"

Esdeath nodded. "Friends."

About that time Akame came up and said, "Reporting mission fully successful Boss."

Leone and Chelsea caught up a moment later and Najenda said motioning to the three ninjas, "Friends of yours Esdeath?"

Esdeath's eyes seemed to gleam with power. "This is Naruto-kun, Hinata and Sakura. They are **_ninjas_** Najenda. They are here to help and it is my hope they will become our future allies."

Najenda's single eye widened as she looked at the three. She took her cigarette out of her mouth and put it out. Glancing at Esdeath she whispered, "Are they the real thing like we were taught?"

"That and so much more." said Esdeath with a firm nod.

"Who is you friend Esdeath-chan?" asked Naruto. Najenda's purple eye nearly popped out of her head at Naruto's affectionate suffix for Esdeath.

Esdeath smiled at her boyfriend. "This is my old friend Najenda that I told you about Naruto-kun. She is the commander of Night Raid and an excellent officer."

All of the ninjas exchanged introductions with Najenda and Mein before they were invited into Night Raid's hideout….

….

 **The Imperial Palace, Prime Minister Honest's private dining room**

Prime Minister Honest was sitting down for his second afternoon meal after lunch but before dinner. (The man ate at least six square meals a day. It was tough to maintain his girlish figure). Honest was very excited. Only his highest ranking spies knew the code ' _East Wind Rain_.' This was sure to be a superb delicacy! After opening the box he read the note with it carefully, "Head Cake from Ice Country, remove tag before eating. Best served cold." he said aloud. Dabbing his finger in the chilled frosting on the round cake he found it was quite to his liking. Deciding to simply eat it like the glutton he always was Prime Minister Honest picked up the entire cake and bit into it making the fuinjutsu seal on it break. That caused the icing to slide off and the ice to melt revealing the semi-frozen human head of his favorite nephew….Whose nose was currently between the Prime Minister's teeth….

Honest's jaw opened in shock. " ** _CRUAUTÉ! OH MY FUCKING GOD!_** " shrieked the Minister in terror as he lost control of his bladder. Honest dropped the bleeding head into what little lap he had before squealing in panic as the head rolled off of him and onto the floor where Cruauté's dead eyes stared lifelessly up into Honest's and blood seeped out everywhere. The Prime Minister tried to scoot back in fright but the rear chair legs couldn't withstand his weight and broke causing Honest to keel over backwards screaming and knocked himself out when his head hit the marble floor. This caused the wetness in his pants to spread _everywhere_ ….What a mess. The noise of it all could be heard all the way outside the Imperial Palace….

….

' _That sounded like the Prime Minister was trying to sing soprano_ ….' thought the boy-Emperor absentmindedly in his study. ' _I would swear it was that or a large pig squealing in fright. Oh well_ ….'

….Maybe the young Emperor was more astute than most people gave him credit for….

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

Najenda led everyone into the kitchen/dining area so they could all sit down together and discuss things in a more relaxed atmosphere. Mein was glaring at Esdeath hatefully and Chelsea looked a bit nervous. Finally Mein said to Esdeath, "Did you kill Tatsumi?! I loved him and I want to know the truth!"

Akame knew this was coming but didn't expect Mein to bring it up so soon. Esdeath took off her General's cap and said, "I didn't kill him. I _couldn't_ kill him. He was my enemy but I loved him too. Honest had him beheaded before my eyes and it broke me inside. I only recently recovered from it all Mein….You don't know how much I cried for him…."

Mein didn't want to believe it but she could see the sadness in Esdeath's eyes that simply couldn't be faked. Hot tears spilled down Mein's cheeks and she said bitterly, "I -I guess that's just one more reason I should hate Honest then. If I still had Pumpkin I could at least blow his fucking head off…."

Akame blinked and looked at Hinata. "Where is the Dreyse? Do you have it Hinata?"

Hinata nodded and pulled out a scroll. Channeling chakra into it a gunmetal colored case popped out. Chelsea, Mein and Najenda all look surprised when it appeared from the scroll. Akame gave a soft smile and said, "Here Mein, open this case. I think you'll like this."

Mein rubbed her eyes and sniffled before she unlatched the case in front of her. Her eyes widened when she beheld Dreyse for the first time. "This is…!"

"This is the gun type Teigu Dreyse that Hinata captured from an enemy." said Akame. "Do you think you can use it? We don't know all the details about it so you might have to experiment."

The pink haired sniper lifted Dreyse out of the case to get a feel for the weight of it. She looked in the case and said, "….And all these attachments?"

"We have no idea what all they do Mein." said Leone. "We figured you and Boss are the most qualified to figure it out since you both used a gun type Teigu before."

Najenda looked at the Dreyse and said, "It looks more like a short range type but it's got a barrel extension and a scope in the case. Have any of you seen what it can do?"

Hinata nodded. "The woman who had it seemed to be able to fire anything from dozens of metal needles to a single large shot with greater penetration power. None of the items in the case were attached to it when she was using it against me so I assume that is its most basic form."

Mein smiled at the Teigu. It felt _good_ in her hands. "I can't wait to try you out Dreyse." she said. "I want to be one hundred percent and see what we can do together."

"Were you injured?" asked Sakura. "I noticed you favor you right hand a bit."

Mein nodded to her fellow pinkette. "I was in a coma. I can get around okay but I'm still not combat ready."

Hinata asked, "Sakura, do you think you think you can help?"

Najenda looked intrigued. "I'd be interested how you could help Miss Sakura."

Sakura was about to explain when Naruto piped in. "Sakura-chan is one of the best medic ninjas in the Elemental Nations! She's saved my life more times than I can count. Let Sakura-chan examine you Miss Mein. If anyone can help you it's her!"

Sakura blushed slightly at the praise. "I'm a combat medic. I'll be happy to look you over if you want."

Mein looked a little dubious at the idea but Najenda seemed enthused. "Mein, I know you still hurt when you move around a lot. What our doctors have already done is all they could do for you. Let's see what Miss Sakura can do."

Esdeath said, "Sakura helped me with my recovery from being locked up for two long years. She is an excellent physician."

Leone and Akame both voiced their opinions that Sakura could really help as well.

Mein sighed. "Well, I don't know what you can do but I'm willing to try Miss Sakura. What do you need me to do?"

"It would be best if we laid you down on a bed or table where I could do a full diagnostic. Hinata, help me check her chakra coils."

Soon everyone was crowded in Mein's room (except Naruto being male and all). The pink haired sniper was in her panties and bra and was blushing a bit from the attention of everyone staring at her. Sakura sat down beside her and said, "Hold still while I run a diagnostic technique." Najenda, Chelsea and Mein jumped when Sakura's hands lit up green with healing chakra. Akame said, "It won't hurt you Mein; just relax."

Soon Mein was feeling the strange sensation of Sakura's healing chakra circulating through her body. It was a warm feeling actually. Sakura went over Mein's ribs several times and over her right arm in particular before she scanned the rest of Mein's body. "Looks like you were in close proximity to an explosion. There are hairline fractures on your ribs and your right arm. There is also some minor nerve damage to your right elbow and wrist. The right shoulder has some torn muscle as well."

Mein was shocked and her pink eyes were wide. "You can tell all that just by using that green light?"

Sakura nodded. "Roll over on your stomach Miss Mein so I can check your back over. About ten minutes later Sakura said "Your right thigh muscle was torn as well; we'll have to fix that." Sakura turned to Hinata. "What do her chakra coils look like Hinata?"

Najenda and Chelsea were startled by Hinata activating her byakugan. "W-what are those?" stuttered out Chelsea who nearly dropped her lollipop.

"Those are Hinata's magical super eyes." said Leone humorously.

Hinata sighed and gave Leone a flat look. "I just activated my byakugan eyes so I can see if there is any internal damage to Miss Mein's body. There is no need to be alarmed." Focusing on Mein carefully Hinata said to Sakura, Her coils are pinched at the right shoulder. By some miracle her elbow and wrist coils are intact. All four of her right fingers have some damage as well."

"And her thumb?" asked Sakura.

"It is undamaged." answered Hinata. "The coils are naturally thicker there."

"Well, that confirms my findings." said Sakura."It will take a couple of hours but all the damage is all repairable. There's no reason I can't do it in one session but you'll need to be on an elevated table where I can work easier."

"It's _repairable_?" asked Najenda dumbfounded. "Wouldn't you need to do extensive surgery to fix all that damage?"

Sakura shook her head and turned to Najenda. "No incisions will be necessary for this kind of procedure. All of Miss Mein's organs are intact and fortunately the ribs didn't splinter. _That_ would require surgery. What I need to do is fairly simple." Turning back to Mein who was still lying on her stomach listening in disbelief Sakura said, "I can repair the back of your thigh while you are lying here. It will take about fifteen or twenty minutes. Everything else I need you lying on your back elevated. Do you want me to fix it Miss Mein?"

Mein looked a bit shocked and said, "Don't I need to be knocked out or something?"

Hinata said, "Miss Mein, Sakura will be repairing the damage to your body; you might experience some discomfort but nothing truly painful."

Mein said. "The shooting pains in my thigh have been killing me. Go ahead and try it."

"Hold on a minute!" said Najenda alarmed. "I can't have you accidentally injuring one of my people. What are the risks here?"

"Given no actual cutting is being done there really aren't any risks." said Sakura.

Leone piped up, "Boss, you can trust _Saint_ Sakura. She cured me of the worst hangover in history even after Akame-chan did her best to poison me to death!"

Everyone in the room got a huge sweat drop at Leone's jubilant testimony praising Sakura's skills. They then stared back and forth between the smiling Leone and stone faced Akame.

"Ummm….do you want me to do this or not?" asked Sakura.

Najenda looked at both Akame and Leone who nodded reassuringly. "Alright; if it's okay with Mein then you have my permission."

….

Ten minutes later Mein asked, "So when are you going to start?"

Sakura sweat dropped (again). "I'm almost done Miss Mein. Be patient and stay still!" Five minutes later Sakura said, "Done. Roll over onto your back so I can test your leg's flexibility."

Mein looked visibly puzzled and said, "But I didn't feel anything except a warm sensation."

"That's the sign of a good medic." said Hinata.

Mein rolled over and noticed the shooting pains were gone. Sakura gently lifted Mein's leg and said, "Relax your leg Miss Mein." After that Sakura gently moved Mein's leg around through the motions to see if there was any discomfort or catches in the leg's motion. Finally satisfied with her work Sakura said, "It appears to be completely successful. Get up and walk around a bit Miss Mein. We need to test it with some weight on it."

The pink haired sniper got up and gingerly moved her leg about before she walked around the room and went through various stretches and movements at Sakura's instructions. Najenda asked, "How is it Mein?"

Mein got a huge smile. "This is awesome Boss! The doctors told me I'd have that pain the rest of my life and my leg feels good as new!" she turned to Sakura and said, "Thank you; I won't forget this!"

Sakura nodded and smiled. Najenda asked. "Did you say you could heal the injuries to the rest of Mein's body Miss Sakura?"

Nodding, Sakura replied, "After a good night's rest I don't see why we couldn't do the procedure tomorrow after a good breakfast. It will take a couple of hours though."

"I'm all for it!" said Mein enthusiastically. "Is it okay Boss?"

Najenda nodded, "Anything that helps my people I'm in favor of."

 **The Imperial Palace, Royal Infirmary**

There was a lot of noise in the Royal infirmary. Prime Minister Honest woke up in a daze with a terrible headache and saw the young Emperor standing above him. "Ah! You are awake now Minister. How are you feeling? When you didn't show up for dinner I sent some servants to retrieve you from your private dining room. You've _never_ missed a meal in all the time I've known you. I feared the worst."

"What….what happened?" asked Honest groggily. He absentmindedly noticed the bandage wrapped around his head.

The boy crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, "Well, for starters I'm rescinding your previous orders to _never_ be interrupted during meal times for the sake of your own health. You were unconscious and in a deplorable state when the staff found you. There was blood and urine everywhere as well as a decapitated head in the floor with a bite taken out of its nose. I've also taken _decisive_ action by ordering stronger chairs to support your girth." The Emperor turned to his Royal Physician and said, "Do you have a prognosis Doctor Goodwill?" The Doctor nodded wearily. "Please read it if you will."

Royal Doctor Goodwill cleared his throat and said, "Prime Minster Honest, you were found with a major concussion as well as a herniated disc in your lower back. Furthermore you sprained your right ankle very badly when you fell backwards and hyper extended it when your foot caught on the table as you fell. I fear this will not only result in you needing an ankle cast but also you will be wheelchair bound as you attend to you duties. More than likely you will suffer intense pains in you buttocks and thighs from the herniated disc. Due to the severity of your concussion you may experience dizziness or grogginess as well…." Honest was in a daze wondering just how things could be any worse….

"….But most importantly **_by the Emperor's decree_** **_you must go on a healthy diet to lose weight posthaste!_** " concluded Doctor Goodwill.

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Then Prime Minister Honest cried, " ** _NO, not a diet….Anything but that! NOOOOOOOOOO!_** " His pitiable wails of mourning for the loss of his food were a worse blow to him than losing his nephew Cruauté whose nose he bit into. _Poor Prime Minister Honest would be grieving for some time about his change in his diet plan_ ….

"He must be mourning for the shocking loss of his nephew." whispered the boy Emperor to his Doctor.

Doctor Goodwill didn't believe that for a minute but nodded in agreement with the young Emperor. ' _Honest may be frightened for his life but I doubt he gives a damn about his nephew. He didn't bat an eyelash when his son died. Honest is probably mourning the fact he won't be able to stuff himself sick at mealtime_.' "Your Majesty, perhaps we should let the Minister have some time alone. He needs some time to recover from the shock and grieve." whispered the Doctor.

After the Doctor and the Emperor stepped out of the room, the boy Emperor asked in a hushed voice, "What about all the urine? Surely someone as brave as Prime Minister Honest would not have wet himself in fright at seeing a decapitated head."

Doctor Goodwill nodded in false agreement and suddenly was hit with _divine_ inspiration. He said with a wicked gleam in his eye, "Your instincts are spot on as always your Majesty! We'll need to test him for urinary incontinence and…. _other_ issues. I'll need to run a **_full battery of_** _(invasive)_ ** _tests_** with your approval."

"My decree is that you run _any and all tests necessary_ Doctor." said the young Emperor. "The Minister's health is paramount!"

Doctor Goodwill nodded. "Your wisdom is great your Majesty. I'll get the tests started right away." ' _I'm going to put that bloated, corrupt bastard through hell!_ ' thought Doctor Goodwill evilly. ' _I'll start by humiliating him with some adult diapers_ ….'

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

That evening before dinner Mein was in one of the best moods she'd been in months. She could be healed! On top that she had a new Teigu to try out. Mein and Chelsea were sitting and talking with Akame, Leone and the three Konoha ninjas about their adventure. "So your continent just came out of a major war." said Chelsea. "From the sounds of it you all must have a lot of battle experience. Do you all have Teigus like we do?"

Sakura shook her head 'no.' "From what we can tell Teigus are items that act as chakra adapters which emulate jutsus. We can use jutsus without such things so I don't know if a Teigu would be all that useful to us."

"Chakra adaptors?" asked Mein. "What do you mean?"

Hinata said, "It's kind of hard to explain but a few of your people seem to have chakra like yourselves. I'm guessing that Miss Chelsea's Teigu allows her to perform the henge or something similar."

Chelsea asked, "What's a henge?"

"It's probably easier to demonstrate than tell you." said Naruto. "Henge!" a puff of smoke later Chelsea was looking at a mirror image of herself. Using Chelsea's voice and mannerisms Naruto said, "Let's all be Chelsea!" At that idea Hinata and Sakura henged into duplicates of Chelsea as well; lollipops and all.

The original Chelsea's mouth fell open and her lollipop rolled out of her mouth and onto the floor. Mein was dumbstruck as well. "Y-you can do that _without_ a Teigu?!" asked the original Chelsea.

Three other three Chelseas adjusted their lollipops in different ways a said "Yep!" in Chelsea's exact tone of voice.

"Please turn back to yourselves." said Mein. "The idea of four Chelseas running around is far too much to bear." ' _If they all start teasing me about how small my breasts are people_ _ **will**_ _die!_ '

….

Najenda was in her office talking with Esdeath. "….So these ninjas; there's a continent full of them and the things we use Teigus to do they can do naturally." said Najenda in amazement. "Of course I'll want to see this for myself but that does support the old Military History Professor's theory about them."

Esdeath raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean Najenda? Which theory; the old geezer was full of them."

"The old man said they disappeared and some may have survived and interbred with the native population of this continent." said the cigarette smoking General. "The descendants of those same ninjas could be the select few people capable of wielding Teigus like we can…."

"I remember him saying there could be ninja blood in the very room we were having the lecture in." agreed Esdeath. "I wonder if there is any way to prove the old coot right. I'm guessing he died from old age by now but even being proven right posthumously is something. It would basically mean that the Teigus made to fight ninjas on even terms could only be used by the ninja's own descendants. Talk about irony."

Najenda blew out some smoke. "It's just a theory but it's worth looking into. The chakra affinities you mentioned that the ninjas have would also explain why certain Teigus are only compatible with certain people. Damn, what a concept."

Esdeath nodded. "It would be difficult to prove given all the wars and the lost records over the last thousand years. We should ask Sakura about it. The ninjas may have a medical way to prove such a lineage." '…. _And Akame and that Kurenai woman are so much alike it's frightening even by **my** standards_.'

The two sat and pondered a bit before Esdeath decided to change subjects. "….I have a question for you Najenda."

Najenda gave her full attention to Esdeath and said, "What is it?"

"What would you think about recruiting the surviving Jaegers to our cause?" asked the light blue haired beauty. "I know them well. They could be a tremendous asset."

"Go on; I'm listening…." said the purple eyed General with interest in her tone….

POSTSCRIPT:

**After getting several opinions I decided to go ahead and bring Chelsea into the story after all. Since it's an AU for the sake of the argument she never encountered Kurome after she assassinated Bols and thus avoided her grisly fate.

***As far as I know it's never been revealed exactly where the new hideout is. Given the old hideout was only ten kilometers north of the Capitol I figure that the new one is also relatively close to the Capitol as well.

Well, the wheels are starting to turn for the Kurome Rescue Mission and it seems that poor, hapless Prime Minister Honest has been the victim of an unfortunate series of events. Now he's under the tender loving care of the aptly named Doctor Goodwill that may or may not have heard of the Hippocratic Oath where Honest is concerned. Next chapter we'll see Najenda receive the full reports from Akame and Leone as well as the three other Teigus seized from the Requin-Tigres. Mein will be under Sakura's care and will start to explore the mysterious gun Teigu Dreyse. See you next time. Blue out. 2/8/15


	12. Chapter 12

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

Thanks everyone for their many favorites, follows and reviews! I hope the trend continues. This story has turned out far more popular than I imagined possible. I plan to update **Dragon's Maw** , **Magik** and **Curse of the Ryugan** this month if possible but since the ideas just keep rolling on this story I present to you chapter 12 of **Trapped Under Ice**. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _"_ _I remember him saying there could be ninja blood in the very room we were having the lecture in." agreed Esdeath. "I wonder if there is any way to prove the old coot right. I'm guessing he died from old age by now but even being proven right posthumously is something. It would basically mean that the Teigus made to fight ninjas on even terms could only be used by the ninja's own descendants. Talk about irony."_

 _Najenda blew out some smoke. "It's just a theory but it's worth looking into. The chakra affinities you mentioned that the ninjas have would also explain why certain Teigus are only compatible with certain people. Damn, what a concept."_

 _Esdeath nodded. "It would be difficult to prove given all the wars and the lost records over the last thousand years. We should ask Sakura about it. The ninjas may have a medical way to prove such a lineage."_ _' ….And Akame and that Kurenai woman were so much alike it's frightening even by __**my**_ _standards_ _. ' _

_The two sat and pondered a bit before Esdeath decided to change subjects. "….I have a question for you Najenda."_

 _Najenda gave her full attention to Esdeath and said, "What is it?"_

 _"_ _What would you think about recruiting the surviving Jaegers to our cause?" asked the light blue haired beauty. "I know them well. They could be a tremendous asset."_

 _"_ _Go on; I'm listening…." said the purple eyed General with interest in her tone…._

Chapter 12

 **The Western Tribal Lands**

Far out on the frontier near the current border of the Western Tribal Lands (much of their land was taken by the Empire in the past) was a strange rock formation spanning about five hundred feet across and one hundred feet high in the shape of a gargantuan spider. No one knew if it was carved out of the stone there by humans or if by some strange whim of nature the bedrock was eroded into that shape. The Western Tribes avoided it like the plague as a place of death. They had for eons. The Empire soon found out why; a hundred years ago when they tried to conquer the area. Here lived the Unktomi people who were a tribe so vicious that no one dared to even _trade_ with them. They specialized in poisons to the degree it was claimed by other western tribes that even the Unktomi people's _blood_ was filled with poison.

The Unktomi people called the spider shaped rock Anasi which they worshiped as their god. They had dwelled there since long before the Empire's history began. They were known by many derogatory names by the other western tribes that in various tongues translated into ' _dirt spider people'_ or the like….But the Empire knew them as the Blood Drinkers because their culture included cannibalism. When they ritually sacrificed their foe's souls to Anasi the Unktomi people then ate the flesh of bodies themselves to complete the sacrifice. The Imperial Generals sent to subjugate the Unktomi people met with disastrous results and the Unktomi's habit of torturing and eating their captives raw was so horrific that the Empire finally decided to cut their losses and leave the area alone.

To make the matter even more bizarre the Unktomi people walked and even ran on all fours with their arms and legs splayed out like a spider. Their weapons, clothing and culture all revolved around arachnids as well. They also wore makeup and had tattoos that gave them a spider like appearance. Physiologically they appeared to be normal humans and it really wasn't known if their ability to walk and run the way they did was through body modifications or something genetic. As reclusive as Unktomi people were no one really knew the truth and the worshipers of Anasi were considered almost mythical in the west which spawned numerous superstitions about spiders in the entire region.

The Unktomi people were feared. For a group that never had a population of more than fifteen thousand one would think they had the power of fifteen million. To anyone familiar with the area it was a given that one should flee on sight when a single member of the Unktomi was spotted….there were probably ten others hidden nearby. The only positive thing people viewed about the savage Unktomi was the group only defended their lands and kept to themselves. The Unktomi never ventured beyond their borders and had no apparent interest in conquering others. The Empire had garrison nearby as a pretext to deal with the Blood Drinkers but realistically The Unktomi could crush the Imperials stationed there at will.

Tragically enough the Unktomi people were all wiped out in one night and their culture, however barbaric it seemed to others, was erased from the face of the earth….

…. ** _Because Anasi woke up_** ….

 **The Empire, Night Raid's Hideout**

It was morning and after breakfast Leone and Akame were writing their mission reports from the Esdeath Retrieval Mission and the two were discussing things with each other on what to leave _**out**_ of the reports. "I think all references to you being deported from Frost Country due to laughing yourself sick at the Daimyo ' _Tiny Balls_ ' name should probably be skipped Leone." said Akame as she drummed her fingers. "Maybe we should leave the part about you and drinking yourself into a coma and me having to dig you out of the wreckage of a collapsed bar too."

Leone narrowed her eyes. "And what about the fact _you_ were trying to **_poison_** me to death afterwards Akame-chan? That's attempted murder of a comrade! Should we leave _that_ out too?"

Akame got a flat look. "That was a recommended hangover cure from a ninja veterinarian in very good standing"

" ** _HANA IS A VET?!_** " roared Leone. "You told me she was a _medic_ you little fiend!"

"She _is_ a medic; a very good animal medic." replied Akame smoothly.

"Alright Akame-chan; how about you spending all that money at the Akimichi Barbeque Restaurant eating contest?" asked Leone with a smirk.

"There was **_MEAT_** there, it _HAD_ to be eaten!" retorted Akame. "Besides, I would have won if that Akimichi hadn't used a body expansion jutsu to make his stomach larger! Anyway, I still took the second place prize so we still broke even!"

Leone chuckled evilly, "I'd call that a _gross misappropriation of mission funds_ Akame-chan."

"It was still less than your _bar tab_ when you tried to dine and dash!" growled Akame.

" _Which time?_ _Which time_ was that much?!" snarled Leone.

….Too bad the pair was too busy arguing to notice their Boss Najenda had been eavesdropping the whole time with a slightly manic smile on her face….

 _Najenda's Office_ ….

The commander of Night Raid was looking at Akame and Leone who were both sporting lumps on top of their heads from Najenda's none to gentle pounding on their craniums. "So let me get this straight." she drawled out. "You two went to the _wrong_ country, tried to assassinate the _wrong_ Daimyo by mistake and he got so incensed by Leone laughing at his _name_ that he deported you under the care of the Konoha ninjas." Leone and Akame nodded guiltily as Najenda continued. "Then it turns out that another group of Konoha ninjas had already rescued Esdeath from imprisonment and the _Amulet of Souls_ **without** the key. Can you explain exactly how that happened?"

Akame answered, "From what we understand Naruto overloaded the Amulet with his sheer life force and then crushed it into scrap metal with his bare hands."

Najenda stared absolutely dumbfounded. "…. _How much_ _ **power**_ _does Naruto have?_ The _Amulet of Souls_ was supposed to be impossible to overload without the life force of something on par with a **_deity_**."

"Naruto has that kind of power easily." said Leone. "We saw a demonstration of one of his attacks called rasenshuriken and it vaporized literal tons of debris in one strike."

"It is impossible to describe it Boss." said Akame. "The power of that attack nearly blew us off our feet from over a mile away and he wasn't even winded."

Najenda was baffled and said, "Our most difficult mission that we carried out was probably assassinating General Budo. How would Naruto compare to him power wise?"

Akame said clinically, "Naruto could probably have killed General Budo in one shot from outside Budo's range of attacks and there would be nothing but a huge crater left behind in my opinion."

Najenda paled, ' _No wonder Esdeath is totally in love with him….She always stressed the strength of a person is paramount and Naruto's power sounds like it's beyond comprehension_.' "What about Hinata and Sakura? What are their power levels?"

"Hinata can stand up to Akame in a straight spar and is strong enough to even impress Esdeath thoroughly enough to consider her an equal." explained Leone. "As far as Sakura goes she has physical strength in excess of mine when I have the Loinelle activated. But her main duty is as a medic. Akame and I really haven't seen her full abilities. I believe Esdeath could further inform you since she had a journey with Naruto and Sakura before we met up with her."

Najenda pondered a few moments before she lit up a cigarette. "According to Esdeath; the three ninjas came here on a mission at your behest Akame. _Explain your actions_."

The red eyed assassin had been expecting this to become the topic of conversation eventually. Akame looked sad for a moment and gathered herself before she said, "I asked the Leader of the Village of Konoha to send them so I could rescue Kurome. I believe that Sakura may have the ability to heal Kurome's body from years of it being ravaged by the Empire's drugs. If she can't do it I believe Kurome will die from those enhancement drugs."

Najenda sighed and looked compassionately at Akame. "Do you _realistically_ think Kurome would actually agree to such treatment? I know you still love your little sister but-"

"With Esdeath being with us I believe Kurome would." said Akame.

"Then you've already thought this out and calculated the risks." said Najenda. "Esdeath wants to recruit the two remaining Jaegers; Kurome and Wave to our side. Frankly you are out of line making these arrangements Akame….But I'll fully support you. The possible benefits far outweigh the potential risks so I'm in favor of it. Just remember Akame; Kurome is technically still our enemy and may prefer to fight to the death in service of the Empire."

Akame nodded firmly. "If it comes to that I will end Kurome myself."

….

Mein was lying on a table in the Night Raid base infirmary. She was doing her best to lie still on the uncomfortable surface of the table. Sakura was also there with Hinata and Chelsea there looking on. Sakura had already been busily working for an hour and a half. Sakura said, " _Finally_ ; your ribs are done Miss Mein. That took longer than expected but the damage was more extensive than I originally estimated. I need to take a short break and relax a few minutes before I start on your right shoulder, arm and hand. Take a couple of long, deep breaths and tell me if you feel any discomfort or catches in your ribs."

"Okay." said the pink haired sniper. Mein took several deep breaths and Sakura had Mein hold her breath while feeling around and prodding various areas that were previously very painful. Seeing things were successful Sakura sat down and had some water and Mein was able to sit up and move a bit from her position on the uncomfortable raised table. "I can't believe how much better I feel." said Mein. "You really are incredible Miss Sakura." she said as Chelsea gave her some water to drink as well.

"Thank me _after_ we get your arm all fixed up Miss Mein." said Sakura. "There is a lot of work yet to be done."

….

Meanwhile Naruto and Esdeath were sitting together holding hands in companionable silence. "What are you going to do once the mission to rescue Kurome is complete Naruto-kun?" asked Esdeath curiously. The question had been in the back of her ever since the trip started….she was worried.

The orange loving ninja hugged his light blue haired girlfriend. "I'm not sure Esdeath-chan. Tsunade baa-chan said we should stay here for two or three months until the public uproar with you, Hinata-chan and I cooled down in Konoha. We might even be helping Night Raid out a bit here and there. I want to size up this Empire for myself. Don't worry Esdeath-chan; Hinata and I won't leave you all alone."

Esdeath felt as if an immense weight was lifted from her shoulders and kissed her boyfriend happily. "I love you Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled as he returned her kiss. "And I love you Esdeath-chan." They basked in each other's company while awaiting news on Mein's condition.

….

A messenger arrived that afternoon at Night Raid's Hideout on an air manta bearing news for Najenda. Like most contacts he quickly departed once the appropriate code words were exchanged. Najenda sat down and decoded the orders. Her one eye widened in shock.

 _Night Raid Commander Najenda:_

 _An ultra class danger beast has emerged from the western tribal areas and is making its way across Imperial lands. Its current destination (if any) is unknown but it is headed across the Empire from one village to the next in an eastern direction. Three villages of people friendly to our cause have already been wiped out to the last man as well as a fully armed Imperial garrison. It appears to be attracted to largest food supply nearby and consumes it. It is unknown how strong the creature is but medum and light Imperial artillery hasn't even pierced its hide._

Najenda looked at the pictures and saw it was a gargantuan arachnid that seemed to even dwarf the villages it was consuming. ' _Good god….by food supply they mean villages full of people and livestock_.' thought the purple eyed woman. Najenda had witnessed some truly colossal danger beasts in her time this creature looked like something out of an old legend or a nightmare. Looking at the attached notes she continued.

 _The arachnid danger beast is code named Anasi and it appears that the rock formation of the same name is in fact this creature. Night Raid is ordered to scout the situation. Conventional troops have proven ineffective and it is hoped that Teigu users can actually damage or possibly delay it. Three air mantas will be sent from headquarters to transport whatever troops you have available. Estimated time of arrival is 6:00 A.M. tomorrow. Good luck and good hunting._

 _-Revolutionary Army Headquarters_

Najenda dropped the pages onto her desk in disbelief. "What do they think we are; **superhuman?** "

She looked over at the three new Teigus she was planning to take to headquarters in the next few weeks:

 _'_ _ **Esgrima**_ _, a nunchaku type Teigu. It would take time to master, even if extended twenty five feet it would still be short range compared to the reach of Anasi_.'

 _'_ _ **Garrote**_ _, a gloved wire type Teigu. Like Esigrima its use would be of limited use in this situation_.'

 _'_ _ **Cheirosiphōn,**_ _which sprays a sticky stream of liquid that ignites on contact with the target. It could be an asset against Anasi if someone could actually_ _ **use**_ _it_.'

Najenda considered her other assets:

 _'_ _ **Dreyse**_ _, a gun type Teigu with unknown parameters. Mein is getting healed today and is in no position to take an untried weapon into combat in spite of the fact it might be an asset. Assuming things are successful she still needs time to rebuild her strength_.'

' ** _Gaea Foundation_** _, a transformation Teigu. Absolutely useless in this situation. I'm not putting Chelsea at risk. It would be suicide.'_

 _'_ _ **Lionelle**_ _, also a transformation Teigu. Leone could punch it; but then what? Would Anasi even notice? I'm afraid it would also be useless in this situation due to the sheer size of the danger beast_.'

' ** _Murasame_** _, even if Akame could pierce Anasi's hide, Murasame's poison would have little to no effect on such a large creature. Still, if Anasi has a weak point we can exploit then Akame could be vital_.'

' ** _Demon's Extract_** _, Esdeath has shown the ability to freeze even entire rivers at full strength. Unfortunately she's_ _ **not**_ _at full strength. Still, Esdeath is my best bet and knowing one of her hobbies was hunting danger beasts she might actually_ _ **enjoy**_ _the challenge_.'

'…. _And then there are the three ninjas whose abilities I am in no position to gauge although Naruto sounds like he would be very effective against Anasi. The question is whether or not they would be willing help us. In no way are they obligated to put themselves at risk aside of rescuing Kurome. All I can do is ask for their help and hope they will cooperate with us_.'

….

Mein was practicing her forms and stretches with her newly healed body. She hadn't felt this good in years! However, Sakura had warned her fellow pinkette not to push too hard too fast or she would end up injured again. Mein hated to admit it but she really needed to build up her muscle mass, strengthen and tone her body again. She simply wasn't at combat level yet. On the other hand Mein was leaps and bounds better than she was and promised herself to thank Sakura properly by throwing a party or _something_. Mein was trying to figure out a gift or something nice to do for Sakura when she saw Najenda coming out of her office looking troubled. "Hi Boss!" said the pink haired sniper in a jovial tone.

Najenda asked, "How are you feeling Mein? I'm sorry I haven't been able to get away and check on you. All sorts of things have come up."

"I'm feeling great!" answered Mein happily. "Are you okay Boss? You look pale."

"Something unexpected has happened I'm afraid; it's big." said Najenda. "Can you gather everyone in the briefing room including our three ninja guests? We need all the help we can get." Mein quickly nodded and went to find the others….

 **The Imperial Palace, Throne Room**

The young Emperor was surrounded by the chattering of his many panicking advisors….

"….A beast this colossal has not been reported since the time of the Empire's founding! Our forces may not be able to deal with it."

"….General Duke's long range artillery reported in they had absolutely no effect! The spider didn't even seem to _notice_ the attacks."

"….We lost the entire XXIII corps too the monster Anasi! Our troops are no match for it!"

"….Your Highness, What should we do?! This is a disaster!"

"ORDER!" commanded the young Emperor**. Despite the fact the Prime Minister wasn't there the Emperor was keeping his calm. The young man thought in silence for a few moments before he came to a hard conclusion. "There are only two people I know of that I would entrust the task of destroying this monster. They are General Budo who is dead and General Esdeath who was imprisoned for treason. That was a mistake on my part. Retrieve Esdeath from her imprisonment and bring her to me. If she can destroy this tarantula she will not only be pardoned but will become my head General. This is my decree."

"…." His advisors stared in silence.

The Emperor looked up and said, "Retrieve General Esdeath from the palace dungeons at once!"

One of his advisors gathered his courage and said. "Y-your Highness, the Prime Minister banished General Esdeath from the continent. No one even knows where she is."

The young man's eyes widened. "The Prime Minister….went behind my back?"

"Y-yes sire; he often does." answered another advisor in fear.

 **The Imperial Palace, Royal Infirmary** ….

Doctor Goodwill was getting ready to wake up the sleeping Prime Minister to make sure he was good and coherent for his lower endoscopy. After all, they needed to make sure the Prime Minister's bowels were in good working order….That was when the young Emperor and two guards came marching in. It was quite obvious the Emperor was very upset. He looked at Doctor Goodwill and said. "I need a word with you _in private_ Doctor."

Goodwill was sweating and feared for his life but said, "As you command your Majesty; how may I serve you?" ' _This could be it for me_ ….'

The young Emperor sent his guards out so they could talk alone in the Doctor's office. "Doctor, I have held the Prime Minister in the greatest esteem for a long time. However, you have been taking care of me as my personal Physician even longer and you have earned my complete trust. I value your opinion Doctor. I want you to answer me absolutely truthfully; has Prime Minister Honest been doing things without my knowledge or permission?"

Doctor Goodwill thought to himself, ' _I thought this day would never come!_ ' He kneeled before his Emperor and said, "Your Royal Majesty; Prime Minister Honest is the most corrupt man in this entire Empire. He has been doing things behind your back since before you ascended to the throne. In my most humble opinion he is guilty of the highest treason for betraying your trust." Looking up he saw the young Emperor had hot tears rolling out of his eyes and down his still boyish face.

"It is as I feared." said the young Emperor in tears. "Our Empire is in danger from a malignant threat that I believe General Esdeath could save us from but the Prime Minister **_exiled_** her behind my back. He knows where she is and no one else does. I want to protect my kingdom! I no longer know who to trust."

Goodwill thought for a minute and then quickly said, "Your Majesty; I may have a partial solution." Seeing he had the young Emperor's attention Doctor Goodwill got into a cabinet and pulled out a vial. "This is used for short term anesthesia called sodium thiopental but also has been nicknamed a 'truth serum.' If we inject the Prime Minister with this he will answer your questions truthfully without fail. If you want to know where General Esdeath is being held then he will tell you without resistance."

The Emperor rubbed his eyes and asked in a determined voice, "How long will it take to do this Doctor?"

"Give me twenty minutes." said the Royal Physician.

…. _Unknown to them, Naruto, Esdeath and Hinata's little prank on Prime Minister Honest was having far greater effects than any of them could ever have imagined possible_ ….

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

Najenda was sitting with everyone gathered around. "Thank you all for coming so promptly. An ultra class danger beast called **_Anasi_** has emerged and the Revolutionary Army has asked us to look into it. I fear the only one of us here that has the power to damage it is you Esdeath."

" _Anasi_ as in the old tribal Spider God?" asked Mein.

"You know about this Mein?" asked Leone in puzzlement.

Mein nodded. "Remember I'm half tribal myself. There is a mysterious tribe called the Unktomi people that worship a huge spider shaped hill. It's been there forever and _nobody_ messes with them; _they're cannibals_."

"Well they're not anymore." said Najenda flatly.

"What do you mean Boss?" asked Akame. "Did the Empire wipe them out?"

Najenda shook her head and said, "The big rock called Anasi that they worshipped was actually a gigantic danger beast that has been in hibernation for centuries. For whatever reason it woke up and _ATE_ the Unktomi people and at last count has totally consumed three other villages and an Imperial garrison. It's one hundred feet tall and when fully stretched out is close to five hundred feet across. Casualties are estimated to be thirty to forty thousand people between the Western Tribes and the Empire. It seems to be headed east in search of food. The thing is a living nightmare." She passed the pictures around and everyone gasped at the eight legged horror in the photos. Najenda said, "The only one of us that could put a dent in it is your Esdeath. I know that using your ice powers on such a scale will basically advertise you are back in the Empire but I don't know of another choice."

"What do you think Naruto-kun?" asked Esdeath. "Could your rasenshuriken take out this Anasi?"

Sakura said, "A bijudama would probably be more effective Naruto."

Hinata sweat dropped. "It could also blow the top off of a mountain Sakura. Show a little restraint."

"I was thinking it wouldn't strain his new arm as much Hinata." replied the medical ninja.

….Everyone in Night Raid's eyes were comically huge listening to the three ninjas talk about apocalyptic level destruction as if it was nothing….

 **The Imperial Palace, Royal Infirmary** ….

Royal Doctor Goodwill came into back into his office and said "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Honest is ready for questioning. Ask him whatever you want and he should respond truthfully even though he won't act fully coherent. He won't remember a thing of this conversation."

The Emperor came in and took a deep breath before he said, "Prime Minister, tell me where General Esdeath is and if she's still alive."

Honest blinked as if trying to remember and then he said, "I had her imprisoned in my hidden base on the Elemental Continent. She should be rotting away there still."

"You have a base on another Continent Minister?" asked the boy is surprise.

"Well yes; if the Empire falls then I need a place to safely retreat to." said Honest. "I sold our secret airship technology to the Daimyo Kazanana Dotō of Snow Country in the Elemental Nations in exchange for setting up a hidden base there. I've been using it for political prisoners for over a decade."

The Emperor's eyes were hidden in the shadows of his bangs. "And you did all of this without my permission or knowledge?"

""Of course!" chuckled Honest. "You are young and naïve so I've been using you to further my own goals. You are far too trusting your Majesty. It astounds me how easy you are to play like an instrument."

The Emperor asked, "So your loyalty to the Crown is all just an act?"

"Yes." replied the corrupt Minister. "As long as I'm able to kill whoever I want and eat whatever I want I don't give a damn about the Crown. You are just a figurehead only your Majesty. It is I who rules the Empire."

"But why did you exile General Esdeath?" asked the young Monarch angrily.

Honest sighed in disappointment. "She had outlived her usefulness to me and fallen in love. Since I beheaded the man she loved before her eyes she snapped so I had to get rid of her. She was powerful enough to be a threat to me later."

"Why not simply kill her then?" asked the Doctor.

"Killing was too good for her disobedience to me and I wanted her to suffer so I had the _Amulet of Souls_ put on her and locked her away forever. There is no escaping the prison I put her in." answered Honest.

The Emperor growled, "Who would be able to retrieve General Esdeath for me then?"

"Assistant Vicar Dubois is the only official on my payroll left that even knows of the base. Everyone else has been killed to cover the evidence." said Honest. "I'd kill the Vicar but he's proven far too useful for me. He'd be able to retrieve her easily enough."

"What Generals are truly loyal to the Crown and not you instead?" asked Doctor Goodwill.

Honest shook his head. "The whole bloody Eastern Division under General Chevic and Admiral Otto and the Navy still support the Crown much to my disgust. They are very old and hold the Emperor in reverence. Why they can't be bought is beyond me."

The questioning continued awhile before the drug started to wear off and Prime Minister Honest was sedated again.

Doctor Goodwill was ordered to keep Prime Minister Honest medically incapacitated until further notice….

….

Within the hour the young Emperor had General Chevic and Admiral Otto summoned before him in a private audience. Both men feared that their heads were on the chopping block due to Honest's treachery and manipulating their liege. "I have called you both here for a very important reason." Both older men listened intently and the young Emperor said. "There is corruption that runs deep in the Capitol and Prime Minister Honest is behind it. He complained that he wasn't able to corrupt the two of you despite his best efforts. I ask of you both; will you help me save this Empire before it is too late?"

Admiral Otto wanted to jump for joy and declared passionately, "The Navy supports the Crown and always has. It will be our honor to do anything and everything in our power to support you your Majesty." The baldimg old Admiral was glass eyed with unshed tears.

General Chevic said, "Your Royal Majesty; you do not know how long your loyal subjects have prayed for this time to come. Honest and all his followers must be swept from our nation to make it a great and just place again. The Easern Division is at your beck and called. We will never falter."

The boy Emperor was brought to tears. "The both of you have no idea how much your support means to me. You know of the threat of Anasi that has imperiled our people?" Both men nodded and the Emperor continued, "I wish to retrieve General Esdeath and gain her help to stop the beast. I believe she alone is capable of it. Her arrest for treason was a mistake I regret deeply and the following exile that the Prime Minister Ordered was done without my knowledge. Assistant Vicar Dubois knows exactly where she is. Admiral Otto, because she is overseas I wish for you to arrest the Vicar in the name of the Crown and use him to retrieve her."

Admiral Otto bowed in respect. "Yes your Majesty. I will follow your commands to the letter."

The Emperor continued. "General Chevic, you will be my advisor in cleaning up the military. We have a lot of work to do and all those corrupted by Honest will be removed starting with our generals. Also, if there is anything we can do to stop Anasi then we must do so."

"We must move cautiously sire." agreed General Chevic. "You have the Eastern Division but we must tread carefully with the others. We also need to dispose of Prime Minister Honest as soon as possible. Were he to escape it could be disastrous."

 _Perhaps the Empire stood a chance after all….or was it too late?_

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

Mein had a totally flat look of utter disbelief plastered upon her cute face. "Let me get this straight. _You_ , Naruto; have a ' _jutsu_ ' technique so powerful that the impact of it could actually change the landscape due to the _collateral damage alone?_ "

Naruto scratched his neck nervously. "Well, I guess you could put it that way. The only time I used bijudamas much was towards the end of the war against the Shinju."

Esdeath had stars in her eyes. "What does it do Naruto-kun?" The light blue haired beauty was obviously thrilled to hear this.

"Well, it's a hyper dense combination of yin and yang chakra that is launched incredibly fast and pretty much annihilates anything it hits." explained Naruto. "An average one fired by a tailed beast can level a fair sized village."

Najenda and everyone from Night Raid were stunned into silence. Gathering her thoughts together, the one eyed General asked; "Naruto, assuming all this is true would you be willing to help night raid stop Anasi with this ability? I've read Leone and Akame's reports on your power and it would be a tremendous help to us."

Naruto nodded. "I'm not too keen on a bunch of people becoming snacks for a monster spider. I may need Hinata-chan to spot at range for weak points and maybe Esdeath-chan could freeze it partially in place. Missing with a bijudama would be really bad since I don't have the same control over it as a rasenshuriken.*** It would really be best to see how fast and maneuverable the spider is despite it being huge. That way we could decide the best method of attack."

"I think it's safe to say we'll all hate spiders before this is all said and done." said Akame dubiously.

Chelsea nodded in agreement. "Where's a Teigu in the shape of a giant shoe to squash such oversized pests when you need one?"

Everyone just sweat dropped at that comment….

POSTSCRIPT:

**Does anyone know if the Emperor was ever given a name in the manga or the anime? It's kind of repetitive to write, "The Emperor, boy Emperor, young Emperor." It gets the point across but it strikes me as awkward.

***Before anyone badgers me with **_all_** the technical details about bijudamas and lines like "But Naruto has god level chakra control and could hit a target the size of a gnat's balls with a bijudama from five hundred miles away!" to prove I'm wrong; for the purposes of **_this_** fanfic it's highly unlikely Naruto would miss Anasi given the beast is gigantic but Naruto is being cautious about throwing around such destructive power like any _responsible_ leader should be. Why use a nuke with all of the associated risks when a conventional bomb will do the job?

Well, I don't know if anyone was expecting it but Honest's little mishap and the emergence of a monstrous threat to have combined to cause his corruption to be exposed. (If it was too easily predicted then I'm _really_ losing my touch). Believe it or not this was all planned out in advance. The Emperor has finally seen the light but does he have the political power to right the wrongs Prime Minister Honest has made in his name? Meanwhile, Night Raid has been handed the biggest bug extermination job in recorded history. How is that going to work out? Next chapter is named **_Along Came the Spider_**. See you next time. Blue out. 2/10/16


	13. Chapter 13

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

A special thanks goes to **Solvdrage** for proof reading parts of this chapter. I also want to thank my many, many reviewers that took the time and informed me the Emperor's name is Makoto (apparently in the anime). Kōtei appearsto be his title rather than his name (I can't prove it one way or the other). I've only read the manga so I had no idea. Anyway, we'll roll with the name Makoto for now unless another name is revealed in the manga and then I'll have to go back and edit and correct things.

It's rare that I address my anonymous reviewers personally but I'd like to take the time address **Anung Un Rama** (or whatever he/she/its) real name is; **_don't like; don't read and don't review_**. I don't know if you being a complete and utter asshole is a learned behavior or whether it's genetic but troll someone else with your pathetic whining because all of your reviews are simply being deleted. Stop wasting my time and yours. Thank you.

This one was a bit wild to write and I had to take a short break in the middle before I started suffering from burnout on this story. For those interested I put out a Naruto/Underworld one shot called **_Naruto: Darkness Rising_** in the meantime. So here we are at chapter 13 of **_Naruto: Trapped Under Ice_**. It's called **_Along Came the Spider._** Enjoy!

Last time:

 _"_ _Well, it's a hyper dense combination of yin and yang chakra that is launched incredibly fast and pretty much annihilates anything it hits." explained Naruto. "An average one fired by a tailed beast can level a fair sized village."_

 _Najenda and everyone from Night Raid were stunned into silence. Gathering her thoughts together, the one eyed General asked; "Naruto, assuming all this is true would you be willing to help night raid stop Anasi with this ability? I've read Leone and Akame's reports on your power and it would be a tremendous help to us."_

 _Naruto nodded. "I'm not too keen on a bunch of people becoming snacks for a monster spider. I may need Hinata-chan to spot at range for weak points and maybe Esdeath-chan could freeze it partially in place. Missing with a bijudama would be really bad since I don't have the same control over it as a rasenshuriken. It would really be best to see how fast and maneuverable the spider is despite it being huge. That way we could decide the best method of attack."_

 _"_ _I think it's safe to say we'll all hate spiders before this is all said and done." said Akame dubiously._

 _Chelsea nodded in agreement. "Where's a Teigu in the shape of a giant shoe to squash such oversized pests when you need one?"_

 _Everyone just sweat dropped at that comment…._

Chapter 13

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

At four in the morning Hinata, Naruto and Esdeath awoke to the alarm. But all three of them were far too comfortable to move though….

Esdeath said sultrily, "Mmmm….Naruto-kun; I'm warm and cozy. I want to stay in bed. Can't you send and army of clones to take out that giant spider and stay here with us girls?"

"I agree with Esdeath; I want my good morning wake up sex." said Hinata in a sleepy but aroused tone. "We should stay in bed and play."

Naruto was thinking, ' _Oh gods! I have to get up or I'll_ _ **never**_ _get out of this bed. I'm_ _ **so**_ _ready to take my girls for another_ -'

" _NARUTO; GET UP!_ " yelled Sakura through the door while she pounded on it. "We have a monster spider to kill remember?"

"I'm awake Sakura-chan!" called the now fully conscious Naruto.

" _Damn it Sakura_ …." muttered both Hinata and Esdeath under their breath….Climbing out of bed the three sullen lovers got dressed and washed up in the bathroom to start their day….

….

"This morning we are having Elegant Tuna over rice." said Akame as she cooked breakfast. Seeing his two girlfriends were busy glaring at Sakura (who was looking rather nervous) for interrupting their morning; Naruto got up to help Akame cook since he didn't feel it was fair for her to feed nine people by herself. "Can I help Akame-chan?" asked Naruto.

Akame had a slight bit of surprise in her red eyes and asked, "You aren't in trouble are you?"

Naruto smiled, "No, Sakura-chan is and it would be dangerous to my health to sit in the crossfire. Do you need any help?"

Akame slid a pair of tuna in front of him and said "Fillet these like I do." She quickly demonstrated and Naruto copied her. While he was doing that Akame fixed the rice. Leone came over and conspiratorially whispered to Akame. "Putting the moves on Naruto-kun are we?"

Akame got a tinge of a blush and said, " _No_ , he's hiding from all the killing intent at the breakfast table."

Leone whispered, "You're blushing Akame-chan. It must be good to have a handsome man at your beck and call."

Then the now furiously blushing Akame turned her cooking knife on Leone and said, "Wait at the table or I'll fillet you too." Leone held up her hands in surrender and quickly retreated back to the table while silently snickering to herself.

Najenda saw the mischief in her cat like subordinate's gold eyes and said quietly, "What are you up to Leone? You've got Akame blushing over there."

"I think our little Akame-chan has a crush on Naruto." Leone chuckled. "I've caught her watching him more than once. I'm just helping her along."

Najenda got a completely flat look on her face. "Aren't you forgetting something rather important? Naruto already has _two_ girlfriends."

Leone smiled. "Naruto can duplicate himself at will. That's why I've been interested. You should have heard all the moaning and groaning on the ship from their cabin. I _know_ that Esdeath and Hinata have it good. I don't see why they won't share." Leone was pouting at this point.

The one eyed general asked "What do you mean by _duplicate himself at will?_ "

"He has a ninja ability called 'shadow clone' that he can make dozens of copies of himself that all think and act just as he would." explained Leone. "Visualize having a harem of Narutos eager to please and do whatever you want. I can only imagine what Esdeath and Hinata are getting _every single night_. I'm so damned jealous."

Najenda suddenly had a glazed look in her eye as she thought about the possibilities….

"Breakfast is ready!" called Akame as she and Naruto passed the food out.

….

At six in the morning four air mantas arrived from the Headquarters of the Revolutionary Army. The riders quickly disembarked and turned three of the flying danger beasts over to Night Raid. After handing over a map they wished Najenda and her troops good luck and withdrew in a hurry. Najenda sighed. "It looks like another village was leveled last night. We'll go there and investigate first and then we'll trail Anasi to its destination."

"What village was destroyed?" asked Mein.

"It was a village called Fragmina." answered Najenda.

Esdeath said, "I remember Fragmina. My army resupplied there. It was a big village. I'd guess 15,000 people lived there."

"I hope there were survivors…." said Mein forlornly. Chelsea patted Mein on the shoulder and looked a bit sad.

Naruto, Najenda and Esdeath mounted up on the first air manta while Akame, Sakura and Hinata took the second. That left Leone, Chelsea and Mein with the third. The last three were there for observational reasons since they couldn't be active combatants (much to their disgust). They might be able to help rescue some people though.

 **Imperial Capitol, Palace**

The Emperor was listening to some very disturbing news from General Chevic. "What do you mean _the Prime Minister is gone?!_ He was incapacitated in the infirmary and now he's **_missing?_** " asked the young Emperor.

General Chevic answered, "Your Majesty, I have no doubt that he escaped with the help of others loyal to him rather than you. He must be declared a traitor to the Empire immediately so he cannot rally people to his side. I have no doubt he will attempt some kind of coup d'état."

Within hours the Imperial Court issued the edict that former Prime Minister Honest was a traitor to the Crown and was sentenced to death for high treason by the Emperor himself. The citizens of the Empire were shocked and many that formerly supported the Prime Minister were quickly destroying all evidence of their connections to him.

Emperor Makoto had to take stock of his situation and quickly. He had few advisors he could actually trust and General Chevic and Admiral Otto were some of the very few he could count on in the military. Praying that his ancestors would give him strength the young Emperor for the first time took control of his house and decided to put it into order….

 _He hoped it wasn't too late._

 **Frontier, the Village of Fragmina**

Two hours later Night Raid arrived at the ruins that once were the Village of Fragmina. They all had dismounted except Hinata who was spotting from the air and saw the scene of horror before them. "The spider's venom turned this place into a toxic swamp." said Akame sadly. "Even the plants and trees the venom hit are dead."

Naruto was in sage mode trying to sense a spark of life in the area. The semi phosphorescent yellow-green venom was everywhere and he sensed nothing. "There's no one alive in a ten mile radius." said Naruto darkly. "That venom is so toxic it dissolves anything living. The ground water in the area will probably be contaminated as well."

Sakura gathered a sample of the venom into a sealed container through chakra manipulation and said, "It's an organically produced compound. With some research we might be able to make a counteragent to break it down so the land won't be contaminated any longer."

"How long will that take?" asked Leone as she stared sadly at the remains of what once was a bustling trade town. There were a few signs of human and animal remains about but most of them went just skeletal by now.

"It's hard to say." answered Sakura. "Even if we came up with something overnight there would still be the problem of mass producing it. The land here probably won't be able to be cultivated for decades."

Esdeath adjusted he General's cap as she stood in one of the massive footprints left by Anasi. "We need to find out where it is going next. That is our overriding goal."

The air manta Hinata was riding on landed nearby and Hinata dismounted. "The spider's tracks lead directly southeast and Anasi is outside my range of vision. It must have left hours ago or is moving very quickly."

Getting out a map of the area, Najenda said, "The nearest village in that direction is a place called Malum and about 10,000 people live there." She barked out, "We have to move!"

….

 **The Village of Malum**

An hour later the three air mantas and their riders were soaring through the sky towards Malum and they laid eyes on Anasi for the first time. Words did not do the horrific creature justice. It was gigantic and heavily built like a wolf spider or tarantula. The hair that covered the creature was black as night and seemed to move like a shadow as it thundered along. It had eight red eyes that were already locked upon Malum Village. Its fangs were dripping venom in anticipation of its next meal….Anasi was closing the range on the village of Malum rapidly and Najenda and the others were racing ahead on their air mantas. "By the time we land Anasi will be close to Malum village and it will wipe the people out with its venom!" said Najenda as she urged the air manta to go faster.

Esdeath shook her head, "It looks like the village is history. When we arrive there will be no defense against something that colossal."

Naruto changed into his Six Paths Sage Mode and was throwing of more power than Esdeath and the others ever thought imaginable. "Leave Anasi to me."

 _'_ _I'm so excited to see my Naruto-kun in action!_ ' thought Esdeath euphorically.

The blonde sage said, "Najenda, drop Esdeath-chan and I off on the western edge of the village. Esdeath-chan, when we land I want you to make a defensive ice barrier for the village. I'm going to have to crush Anasi _up close and personal_." Najenda had no idea what Naruto meant by _up close and personal_ but both she and Esdeath shared a look that indicated that they both wondered about Naruto's sanity. Finally Esdeath nodded decisively indicating she believed in Naruto's abilities. Najenda resigned herself to rolling the dice of fate and landed them at the western edge of Malum Village. If there was a chance they could save these people then they had to take it. As they landed the air manta was bucking wildly in fear of Anasi's overwhelming presence and tossed them off before it shot skywards like a homesick angel.

They all saw Anasi stop and rear back before spreading its mandibles wide to shoot a stream of venom. " ** _NOW, Esdeath-chan!_** " yelled Naruto.

" ** _Oh shiiiiiiit!_** " yelled Najenda at the top of her lungs as Esdeath poured her all into making a fortress of ice to protect them. A gigantic semi circle of ice sprang up that was nearly two hundred feet high and fifty feet thick. It formed a barrier across the west side of the village. Esdeath, Naruto and Najenda were on top of it as it rose. Najenda caught Esdeath as the light blue haired woman collapsed from exertion. Esdeath was panting heavily for breath.

Naruto watched as the venom was stopped by the barrier of ice and he put his hand on Esdeath's shoulder to transfer all the chakra she needed to her. "Well done my Esdeath-chan. You saved these people." Naruto said proudly. Esdeath opened her eyes in awe as she felt her power being restored by her lover.

Chelsea, Leone and Mein were still orbiting above on their air manta in case they need to pull the others out.

About that time Hinata, Sakura and Akame landed and hopped off onto the ice barrier. "We'll take care of Esdeath." said Sakura. "Just deal with that monster spider."

Naruto nodded and leapt off of the ice wall towards the sea of venom below. " ** _Naruto/Naruto-kun!_** " screamed Esdeath and Akame.

"Ready Kurama?" asked Naruto.

' ** _Always_**.' replied the ancient fox. Naruto entered his nine tails form and to everyone's shocked eyes (except Hinata and Sakura) the fiery form of Kurama was standing before them standing at three hundred feet tall.**

Anasi looked up and its eight eyes seemed to blink in disbelief at Kurama's sudden appearance. It let out a ghastly sounding shriek a second before Kurama's right forepaw hit the side of Anasi's head with the force of a meteor impact and sent the monstrous spider skipping across the plains like a stone across water. As Anasi tumbled the ground shook like an earthquake and trees were flattened left and right. Naruto said, " ** _LET'S GET WILD!_** " and charged after his dazed opponent.

The members of Night Raid and the few people of Malum Village that dared to look around the ice barrier were gaping with their jaws on the ground. Hinata smiled triumphantly and said, " _That's my man!_ "

Anasi seemed to be much more interested in eating than fighting and went scuttling back towards Malum hungrily while trying to avoid Kurama. As it closed on the town again most of the people panicked but Kurama said, " ** _Oh no you don't!_** " and bit into Anasi's back leg before hurling the massive spider in a flat spin away from the village. Anasi crashed into the ground with the force of an asteroid impact and flipped completely end over end from the momentum before it stopped. After that Anasi's attention was now all focused on Kurama….

Kurama came thundering down on Anasi as the monstrous arachnid got back on its feet. After digging into the dirt for traction Anasi reared back and sprayed venom at Kurama but the bijuu was able to nimbly avoid it and close the distance. Kurama counter attacked Anasi with a bite that pulled one of the right forelegs off the monster as the spider fell back to the ground. Anasi screeched in pain and charged forward which body slammed Kurama sending him stumbling back and took out a small hill along with other parts of the landscape. Kuruma regained his footing and once again batted the arachnid backwards with a backhand. Having a temporary advantage Kurama leapt on top of Anasi with a bijuu powered rasengan in his right forepaw.

The oversized rasengan hit the spider's abdomen and sent literal tons of gore flying as Anasi angrily bucked Kurama off of its back. The fact Anasi was injured seemed to make the beast even angrier and its eight eyes glared hatefully at Kurama who had rolled to his feet after being thrown off. Anasi attempted to leap at Kurama but was imbalanced due to missing one of its limbs. The earth shook once again as the spider hit the ground in a crouch. Anasi paid for landing too close to Kurama and part of its face and a pair of eyes was lost to Kurama's claws. Anasi shrieked in pain again and charged but Kurama leaped over the arachnid abomination causing Anasi to crash into a rock formation and shattering it.

Undeterred; Anasi tried to wheel around and sink its dripping fangs into Kurama's rear leg but the fox was fast enough to bat the spider aside with his nine powerful tails. Anasi skidded to the side leaving enormous troughs in the ground but steadied itself. Kurama's tail strike had broken another of the spider's limbs but Anasi was plenty tough and still intact. The spider started shooting short jets of venom that Kurama found difficult to dodge. The venom wouldn't kill Kurama but it sure _hurt like hell_. The fox's tails lashed angrily as Kuruma roared while Anasi shrieked furiously and charged again. Once again Kurama leaped over the charging spider but this time Anasi anticipated the move.

When Kurama landed behind it Anasi spun around too quickly for Kurama to react and leaped on the bijuu causing the fox to land on his back with and earth shattering crash. Anasi landed atop of Kurama pinning the fox with its tremendous weight. Anasi's mandibles chattered as it went to bite deep into the flesh of Kurama's neck. That's when Kurama unleashed a bijudama at point blank range into the spider's thorax. Anasi didn't have a chance to scream as the hyper condensed ball of chakra vaporized the forward part of its body and the rear half of it was torn to pieces by the shockwaves ripping through it from the impact. Its disembodied head flew and finally rolled to a stop near Malum Village and Anasi's legs flew hundreds of feet in the air in random directions as the still intact bijudama soared quickly into the heavens above….

Shaking his head; the battered Kurama rolled to his feet and said excitedly, " ** _I haven't had that much fun in centuries. If another one of those spiders shows up I'll REALLY crush it!_** " He then let out a howl of victory before walking over to the ice barrier surrounding Malum Village. Everyone stared in awe that witnessed the titanic clash. Kurama lowered his muzzle so the equally battered Naruto could hop off and onto the wall.

Naruto turned around jubilantly and bumped his fist with Kurama's massive one. "Way to go partner! We kicked ass!" laughed Naruto. Kurama also laughed before he returned to the seal. Naruto turned to his friends and said, "That's what I call a fight! I am so revved!" then he sat down and said, "I'm also exhausted. That damn spider's hide was hard as stone."

….

 **Imperial Capital**

Propaganda flyers were appearing throughout the Capitol bearing an ill wind for the Emperor.

 ** _THE EMPIRE IS DEAD!_**

 _Emperor Makoto has sentenced former Prime Minister Honest to death for treason! What treason you may ask? The treason of trying to save our Empire from destruction!_

 _Honest made this statement for all the people of our great nation: "It is with a heavy heart that I make this declaration. Having long and loyally served the Emperor he has turned his back on me. He has turned his back on the PEOPLE! The Thousand Year Empire Is Dead! In its place we will build a Commonwealth together hand in hand and end the tyrannical boy Emperor Makoto's rule once and for all! I ask that everyone think hard on your decision. Do you want a future of enslavement under the Emperor's foot or one of FREEDOM? I am a humble man and cannot decide for you. The People must rise up from all classes and walks of life to decide for themselves. I long have labored for everyone to be treated with equality and this Commonwealth will be the fruit of our labors. No more will I stand by and see injustice done to my fellow citizens."_

 _"_ _With great reluctance I have accepted the leadership of this secret movement. Those who supported the Commonwealth with me claimed I should lead us. After many weeks of refusing this offer again and again I finally was convinced by the other leaders in our movement to bear the heavy burden of serving the people as the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. I will serve the people; they will not serve me. I decree that the corruption of the Empire will be swept away and ALL those who support this Imperial madness will be expelled. Many movements including the Revolutionary Army have struggled with this problem. The Commonwealth is the solution! Together as one united people we will destroy the tyranny of the Empire once and for all!"_

 _"_ _Each person must make their own decisions and I am confident it will be the right one."_

 ** _LONG LIVE THE COMMONWEALTH!_**

 _Your humble Lord Protector and servant of the people, Honest_

….

 **The Jaeger's Residence**

Wave sat down the flyer that he'd received while on a walk. Kurome had been reading it over his shoulder as he sat at the table. Suffice it to say both of them were stunned into shock. The only noise was Kurome quietly crunching on her candy….

Suddenly the front door to the Jaegers common room exploded inwards and a group that Kurome and Wave knew well came in; Honest's personal Execution Squad. However, they were now wearing white uniforms with blue sashes….the new uniform of the Commonwealth. Their leader Captain Esel was smiling widely. He had intentionally put the Jaegers in danger many times in the past but now he could get his wish and do them in for good. He considered the Teigu user's special treatment to be an affront because he didn't receive a Teigu himself. His jealousy knew no bounds….

Esel said haughtily, "By the order of the new Commonwealth and Lord Protector Honest himself you two are to surrender your Teigus for the good of the Commonwealth. They will be given to _worthy_ users unlike yourselves."

Kurome's eyes darkened and she asked, "Worthy like you Esel?"

Wave slowly stood up and said, "You're making a big mistake Esel. Turn around and walk away while you still can…."

Esel replied, "Imperial scum! Rifleman fire at will!"

In the blink of an eye Kurome disappeared and Wave said, "Carnage Incarnate: Grand Chariot!" as his armored Teigu formed around him and deflected every bullet shot at him as if it was nothing. After the guards emptied their cartridges on Wave they all began to shiver at the killing intent smothering them in the room.

From behind them they heard, "March of the Dead: Yatsufusa!" a second later all twenty men were lying there in a dismembered heap. The dark smile and vengeance in her eyes made Kurume's normally cute face look like a death goddess as she looked at Esel.

Esel turned to run from the pile of body parts that were once his men but found Wave's armored form standing behind him like an impenetrable wall. Wave grabbed Esel's neck and lifted him in the air before Wave said, "It looks like your time has run out Esel." Wave looked over at Kurome and said, "Do you want him?"

The Execution Squad Captain looked terrified at Kurome's smiling face as she said, "Kill him my love." The last thing Esel heard before he died was the sound of his neck being crushed into nothing by Wave.

Wave growled as he dropped the shattered vertebra between his fingers. "Scum, I'll never let you hurt my Kurome." He turned to his lover. "We need to get out of the Jaeger's Residence. It's no longer safe here."

Nodding in agreement Kurome and Wave gathered their important things (like Kurome's candy) and left as quickly as possible….

 **The Village of Malum**

Najenda was talking to the village leaders. "That venom is both corrosive and poisonous. This town's people are safe but Malus needs to be abandoned until that venom can be neutralized. I don't know how much the Revolutionary Army or the Empire can help you. The Revolutionary Army is probably willing but I don't know if they have the means. As for the Empire, They certainly have the means but I don't know if they are willing."

The Head Elder of Malum said, "The main thing is we are all alive Miss Najenda. I have no doubt that we would have surely perished had it not been for you and your people. To be honest I think we're all still in disbelief that all this even happened. Trust me when I say we can take care of ourselves though. There is a good network out here and the larger villages always support each other in emergencies. Still, it's tragic what happened to Fragmina Village. We are truly blessed to not have shared the same fate." The Head Elder then asked quietly, "Is it true that Esdeath the _sadist_ , _The Empire's Strongest_ that was disgraced years ago saved us from that venom with that wall of ice?"

Najenda nodded and smiled softly. "It's hard for her but she's on the side of the Revolutionaries now. Making that wall that saved you people exhausted her. Believe me she risked her own life to save yours."

"And the young man with the fox Teigu? He'll be sung about for generations to come." said the Malum Elder.

"He's a friend of ours." said Najenda cryptically. "I can't tell you his name without permission."

"That's a shame. There isn't a maiden in the village that doesn't want to meet him." said the Elder with a twinkle in his eye.

Mein called over to Najenda, "We finally settled the last air manta down. We're ready to mount up and go boss."

Najenda nodded and turned to the Elders, "Until we meet again Elders. Hopefully this war will all be over by then." Turning to her people Najenda climbed on the back of her air manta and said, "Let's move out while there's still daylight to burn!"

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

It had been three days since Anasi had been eliminated and Esdeath was still recovering a bit but even Mein seemed friendlier towards the light blue haired general. Chelsea and Leone had been at the Capital and intelligence was flowing in about the Imperial Civil War that had broken out. There was more fighting in the Capitol than ever but Imperial citizens outside the walls of the Capitol were going through life as if nothing was going on. The Revolutionary Army's high command was debating whether to even get involved. It seemed the loyalties of the Generals in the Civil War were changing almost daily and no one knew who they could trust. Many people were trying to flee the Capitol to avoid conscription into the Imperial or Commonwealth forces.

Najenda had to wonder why **anyone** would buy into the utter bullshit that any government run by ' _Lord Protector_ _Honest_ ' wouldn't be even **more** corrupt than things already were. Then Najenda remembered an old quote from history that rang true. ' _How fortunate it is for governments that people do not think_.'

Mein was sparring with Sakura and building her muscle strength back up quickly. Sakura was quite a brilliant medic in Najenda's opinion. She'd put Mein on a special diet to build and tone her muscles and it _showed_. Mein was recovering far faster than Najenda imagined possible. Mein was also checking out all of the various attachments for her new Teigu Dreyse. There was a slim chance that it would reject Mein but the pink haired sniper had been so elated to have a new gun that Najenda seriously doubted it. Besides; Mein said that Deyse just _felt right_ to her and that meant a lot.

The evening Leone and Chelsea arrived from the Capitol having prowled around for potential targets and came home with something else: Wanted posters for Kurome and Wave for ' _Crimes against the Commonwealth_.' The former residence of the Jaegers had been a hotspot for the Commonwealth and Imperial forces. Currently the Imperial side held the grounds but it had changed hands several times already and the building was badly damaged.

Akame was very worried for her sister but the question on everyone's mind was "Where are they?" Kurome and Wave fell off the face of the earth for all intents and purposes. Just as worrisome was how long Kurome could last without her body enhancement drugs. Whether the drug supply was in the hands of the Empire or the Commonwealth was arguable and either way Kurome's supply was cut off.

At dinner everyone was eating quietly and Akame said, "It's time to rescue Kurome. I hired a team to do it and we can't wait any longer. Time is running out for her."

You could hear a pin drop in the room. After a suffocating silence Najenda said, "Akame; you want to march into the middle of a civil war and search for missing people? Have you lost your mind?! As your commanding officer I can't allow it. I need you. Night Raid needs you."

Akame had tears sliding her face in silence. She was an expert at keeping her emotions under control but this was too much. "I joined Night Raid on the condition that I would deal with Kurome as I wished. I'm invoking that now Boss and you won't stop me." Akame's tone was sad and remorseful but it held an edge like steel. There would be no changing Akame's mind on this matter even if it meant going alone. The red eyed assassin knew that Naruto, Hinata and Sakura would help her because they were under contract but she had hoped the others would as well….

Esdeath asked, "May I make a suggestion? I wish to recover Kurome and Wave myself."

Akame's red eyes met Esdeath's blue ones. "The black haired assassin said, "What is it?"

Najenda looked intrigued when Esdeath said, "I'll need a map." Ten minutes later everyone had cleared the table and a map of the southern part of the capital was in front of them. "When Doctor Stylish and his little army were killed when he discovered your hideout the Jaegers found he had several hidden labs throughout the Capitol." Esdeath circled a non-descript building on the map and said, "In the sewer below this building there is a bunker which turned out to be quite livable and easily defended. The Jaegers decided this would be a good back up base in case something happened to our public residence. We all agreed it was a good place to regroup at if something happened. Given how well concealed it is I doubt it was ever discovered. It would be a matter of evading whichever side controls the area and sneaking them out **_if_** Wave and Kurome withdrew to there."

Akame looked hopeful and Najenda asked, "What do you think the odds are those two went there?"

"I'd go there." answered Esdeath. "I'd say given as straight and narrow as Wave is he would too."

"And Kurome?" asked Leone.

The light blue haired woman said, "About an eighty percent chance by my estimates. Unless they had to separate I bet they are both there laying low trying to decide their next move."

"Is there a pass code or anything?" asked Akame. "I'll need to know it to get in."

Esdeath nodded, "I know the codes because I set them. I'll be going with you on this little excursion. Since I'm not ' _officially_ ' sworn into the Revolutionary Army I can do so of my own free will. Isn't that right Najenda?"

Najenda smiled as she lit up a cigarette. "I feel like I have a mass mutiny going on." She blew out a puff of smoke. "Akame, you and you team's job is to infiltrate and investigate that hidden base. If you find Kurome and Wave bring them home if they are willing. The operation starts tomorrow night."

Akame gave a watery smile. "Thank you boss; you don't know what this means to me."

"You would have gone anyway." said Najenda wryly. "I'm just making it official. I truly hope things work out for you and your little sister, Akame."

POSTSCRIPT:

**Three hundred feet seems to be the average guess on most forums. I'm not going to argue the point here. If Kishimoto writes me personally and tells me I'm wrong then so be it. In **_this_** story Kurama is three hundred feet tall which would make him around 825 feet long including his tails. That is **_plenty_** big.

A lot happened this chapter. Monster battles, Civil Wars and the beginning of the mission to (hopefully) save Kurome. Did anyone _really_ think Honest was out of the picture? Villains like him are hard to find. He's a wreck physically but his political machine is still running full force. (It doesn't mean that more unfortunate accidents won't occur though). Just as a warning the rapid fire updates are going to slow down _a lot_. I can't keep up this pace without seriously burning myself out (besides, I need to do my damn income taxes that I keep putting off to write new chapters instead). See you next time. Blue out. 2/14/16


	14. Chapter 14

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This chapter came out quicker than I expected. Thanks to **Lord Farsight** for inspiring a scene in this chapter. The status of my one shot _**Naruto: Darkness Rising**_ is kind of in question. I was originally planning to make it one of my inactive fics to continue _someday_ but I'm actually considering having active now as a secondary fic because of the huge response I got (I didn't figure it would attract much attention honestly). Anyway, this chapter focuses primarily on the Kurome rescue mission and Mein will finally get to try out her new Teigu, Dreyse! Here's chapter 14. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _Najenda asked, "What do you think the odds are those two went there?"_

 _"_ _I'd go there." answered Esdeath. "I'd say given as straight and narrow as Wave is he would too."_

 _"_ _And Kurome?" asked Leone._

 _The light blue haired woman said, "About an eighty percent chance by my estimates. Unless they had to separate I bet they are both there laying low trying to decide their next move."_

 _"_ _Is there a pass code or anything?" asked Akame. "I'll need to know it to get in."_

 _Esdeath nodded, "I know the codes because I set them. I'll be going with you on this little excursion. Since I'm not '_ _officially_ _' sworn into the Revolutionary Army I can do so of my own free will. Isn't that right Najenda?"_

 _Najenda smiled as she lit up a cigarette. "I feel like I have a mass mutiny going on." She blew out a puff of smoke. "Akame, you and you team's job is to infiltrate and investigate that hidden base. If you find Kurome and Wave bring them home if they are willing. The operation starts tomorrow night."_

 _Akame gave a watery smile. "Thank you boss; you don't know what this means to me."_

 _"_ _You would have gone anyway." said Najenda wryly. "I'm just making it official. I truly hope things work out for you and your little sister, Akame."_

Chapter 14

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

Later that evening Mein, Leone and Chelsea were talking about the recent events with Night Raid. "The Commonwealth is trying to cover up the whole business with Anasi." said Leone. "They won't _dare_ admit that the Revolutionary Army has the power to defeat such a monstrous danger beast and they don't so they are trying to ignore the whole situation." Leone sighed. "At least the Emperor has sent some aid down to help the people in Malum."

"I question the Empire's motives for helping but technically we _don't_ have the power to defeat the likes of Anasi." said Mein. " _Naruto_ does -And I'm _still_ in a state of denial at what I saw back in Malum. Seeing a town eating giant spider getting its ass kicked by an even _more_ giant fox is something I would associate with some heavy hallucinogenic drugs. -And according to Hinata and Sakura; Naruto wasn't even going full power to prevent the whole landscape from being leveled."

Leone said thoughtfully, "….Nah, I don't think I'd have seen that even if I was totally stoned out of my mind."

"Only you would know." snarked Mein at the cat like woman.

Chelsea smiled slyly. "Well, at least I understand why Hinata and Esdeath are madly in love with Naruto. What girl wouldn't want a man with that kind of power? Plus he's easy on the eyes and is actually a nice guy."

"That's great and all but the whole shadow clone thing is what I'm interested in! Think of all the fun a harem of cute blondes would be." said Leone excitedly. "If you'd heard all the noise that Esdeath and Hinata made in their cabin at night you wouldn't be able to keep your hands off of him!" Leone was drooling at this point.

"So what stopped you Leone?" asked Mein irritably. "I'm surprised you didn't just shove your big rack in his face."

Leone cringed. "I did….and then Hinata **_punished_** me." she squeaked out.

Chelsea raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Sweet and kind _Hinata_ punished you? What about Esdeath?"

"Esdeath couldn't figure out a way to inflict more pain on me without killing me." said Leone in a defeated tone. "She actually patted Hinata on the back and complimented her! Those two girls together are **_EVIL!_** "

"What did Hinata _do_ exactly?" asked Mein as she stifled a snort.

The cat like woman said, "She used her juken to disable me and I would have been bedridden if _Saint_ Sakura hadn't fixed me up. What's worse is Akame actually _laughed_ at me!"

"I noticed that Akame has gotten rather close to Hinata." said Mein.

Leone nodded. "Akame had a bit of a breakdown and Hinata really supported her through it. They started sparring together too and have become close friends. I think that's why Akame-chan has a crush on Naruto. He's been so kind and supportive about saving Kurome."

"So what have Esdeath and Hinata's reactions been to Akame?" asked Mein out of curiosity.

"Why so curious?" asked Leone saucily. "Taking an _interest_ in Naruto-kun?"

Mein blushed slightly and said, " _No_ , I just am worried about Akame being hurt. _You_ got what you deserved Leone."

" _Bitch_." growled Leone under her breath.

"Actually I think Naruto is kinda hot." said Chelsea as she spun her lollipop in her mouth. "He has this wild, feral air about him that makes me want to play with him like a big tiger cub. If Naruto wasn't taken then I'd go after him."

Mein raised her pink eyebrows. " _You_ Chelsea? Given the way you are I could see you teasing a guy to death but never getting serious."

Chelsea frowned. "Hey! After this damn war is over I want to settle down and have a family."

"Not before I do!" declared Mein loudly.

"Well first of all you'll have to find a man that likes those mosquito bites you call breasts." said Chelsea sarcastically as she laughed.

Mein's angry voice echoed through the hideout. " ** _DAMN YOU CHELSEA!_** "

….

Najenda sweat dropped as Mein's voice echoed across the entire hideout.

"Are your troops always this unruly?" asked Esdeath.

Najenda hung her head and blew out some smoke. "I'm afraid so. I have a bit of a motley crew here. If you were expecting rank and file soldiers then you're in the wrong outfit Esdeath."

Esdeath smiled. "Believe it or not I kind of like it here. I liked the Jaegers as well. It takes people with strong and unique personalities to wield Teigus. An average soldier or person won't cut it. I like being among the strong."

The one eyed General grinned. "I don't think I've seen you this at ease since we were in officer school. What's changed?"

"I have Naruto-kun." said Esdeath as if that was the answer to everything. "He makes me happy every single day."

Taking another drag off her cigarette, Najenda asked, "Just how is it you're sharing him with Hinata? I can't imagine you sharing _anything_ with anyone."

The light blue haired beauty looked surprised for a moment and then said, "Hinata has earned my respect both as a warrior and as a person. We beat the living hell out of each other in a fight over Naruto-kun before we made peace. She's actually become a close friend to me and I'm glad to know her. She's loved Naruto-kun since they were children so there are little secrets about him she shares with me and it makes me happy."

"You've really changed Esdeath." said Najenda smiling. "I mean that in a good way."

….

Naruto and Hinata were sitting outside looking up at the moon and stars together. "There are a lot of different constellations I can see since we're further north Naruto-kun." said Hinata as she pointed towards some formations that she hadn't seen before. Naruto looked over at her and smiled before he kissed her cheek. Hinata smiled back and asked, "What do you think of this place Naruto-kun? I want to help our friends but we really aren't supposed to get involved in their war."

"We have to do the right thing orders or otherwise." said Naruto with conviction in his tone. "Tsunade baa-chan told us to do what was necessary for the mission. The main thing is saving Akame-chan's little sister if we can. I have all the faith in the world in Sakura-chan's abilities but both she and Tsunade baa-chan said some damage is beyond fixing. I worry it will break Akame-chan's heart if that happens."

Hinata kissed her boyfriend and said, "You are too kind for words. I love you Uzumaki Naruto." The pair kissed again and held each other close as they looked back at the heavens together….

….

Two hours later Chelsea went up to soak in the hot spring the Night Raid used to bathe in. She had on a bathrobe and trudged out to bathe. ' _Damn….why did I have to draw the short straw and be last to get a bath? I'm always ready for bed by the time I bathe….and I still have to wait twenty minutes for Sakura to get done. Oh well_.' When Chelsea got close to the spring she heard Sakura's voice talking animatedly. ' _Is she talking to herself?_ ' thought the redhead. Then Chelsea heard Hinata's softer voice respond as well as Esdeath's deeper one. ' ** _What the hell?!_** ' thought the redhead. Using her Teigu to transform into a kitten Chelsea decided to see what was going on….

As Chelsea sneaked up to the edge of the clearing she thought to herself, ' _Wait a minute!_ _ **Guys**_ _peek in on girls. If those three are into that sort of thing….what about Naruto? Is this some dark secret his girlfriends keep from him? Should I even look?!_ ' To an ordinary passerby it would have looked like a cute kitten playing or chasing its tail. In reality, it was Chelsea pacing back and forth while having a mental meltdown at the possibilities lying just beyond those rocks blocking her view. Finally gathering her courage to learn the truth of what was going on; Chelsea marched forward in her kitten form and poked her head around the rocks. She saw Hinata's back to her and Sakura and Esdeath reclining in separate parts of the pool as they talked. Chelsea wiped the sweat from her brow with a paw. ' _Whew! I was afraid I was going to walk in on a yuri smutfest_ ….'

"Is there a reason you're hidden back there in the form of a kitten Chelsea?" asked Hinata much to Chelsea's shock. Hinata then started giggling and said. "That look of horror on such a cute kitten's face is _priceless!_ "

Chelsea face faulted before she changed back into her human form. Sakura waved her over. "Did you want to bathe with us Chelsea? There's plenty of room."

The redhead blushed before Esdeath said, "They practice communal bathing on the Elemental Continent. It took me time to get used to it but I'm fine with it now."

Chelsea sweat dropped. "I guess nothing is going on behind Naruto's back then…."

"What exactly did you _think_ we were doing?" asked Sakura looking somewhere between disturbed and outraged. _That led to an extremely embarrassing line of questions for Chelsea about what was on her perverted mind….She really wished she'd just stayed as a kitten and ran in the opposite direction_ ….

 **The Jaeger's Hidden Bunker**

"Who would have thought there was a hidden wine cellar down here?" asked a rather tipsy Kurome. She giggled. "We've got this whole place to ourselves Wave. _I think we should break in the bed_."

Wave was looking a bit shocked. "Kurome, you've only had one glass of wine….are you okay?"

Smiling hungrily, Kurome crawled into Wave's lap so she was straddling his waist. "….I've never had alcohol before Wave. I want you…."

Kurome kept Wave up a lot later than he expected that night…. _It seemed she had an exceptionally low tolerance for alcohol_ ….Or maybe she was faking it to take advantage of Wave all night long….

….

 **Imperial Capitol**

The next morning Akame, Esdeath and the three Konoha ninjas were up early to head to the southern areas of the Imperial Capitol. They planned to make it to the hidden bunker by nightfall. To say things were uneasy in the streets of the capitol was an understatement. The Commonwealth's troops in white and blue and the Imperial troops in gray were patrolling heavily and trying to feel each other out. Street fighting between the warring factions spilled both into military and civilian areas and hundreds of innocents had already been cut down in the crossfire. No place seemed to be safe and the central and northeast quarter of the capitol seemed to be the only areas that weren't contested. They were both firmly under the control of the Empire. Sadly there was little peace there either as anyone walking down the street was likely to be conscripted to serve in the Imperial Army.

This area was where General Chevic had set up his forces. The old General was personally against forced conscription but as often has been said throughout history, ' _desperate times call for desperate measures_.' Even setting up new troops as auxiliaries to defend the areas they lived in enabled the professional troops to move into contested areas to fight against the Commonwealth forces. The Imperial Navy under Admiral Otto currently controlled the many canals and waterways surrounding and passing through the capitol but Commonwealth forces were trying to counter this by means of sabotage as they had no means to build a navy of their own. The Commonwealth also found that the Imperial Navy was _very_ committed to supporting the Emperor thanks to decades of Admiral Otto's charismatic leadership. After General Budo's death the Army no longer had a cohesive leader to keep them together and like that and the splintering division between the two sides was the result….

Moving stealthily through the northeast was Akame's little group and (former) General Esdeath was utterly disgusted with the whole situation. _Her_ army had never been in this kind of disarray. It took all she had to not blow her top at the ill trained and unmotivated troops that were skulking about in the streets fearing their own shadows. As a result of moving quietly and avoiding troops and conscriptions the going was a lot slower than they'd hoped….

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

While Esdeath was pulling her hair out while observing the enemy army's lack of….everything; Mein was carefully testing her new Teigu Dreyse for the first time. The pink haired sniper was overjoyed with the results. There was no doubt in her mind that Pumpkin had more raw power. But Dreyse had more flexibility and dare she say it precision. The woman Sadique that had Dreyse before used the Teigu like a gorilla would by blowing chunks of metal through things. Mein found she could not only change the shape of the projectile she was firing but also the number of projectiles. Mein could fire a single cannonball shape round with blunt force damage in mind or dozens of needles the size of a human hair that could turn her target into a sieve. The learning curve was high but Mein was fully up to the task. Mein had finesse with the Teigu that Sadique couldn't have dreamed of.

Mein was gleefully shooting up targets left and right with gusto as she imagined them all being Chelsea calling her flat chested…. _maybe Mein was more disturbed than anyone cared to admit_ ….Her cackling " _Flat as a wall am I?_ _Take that Chelsea!_ " and " _Call me a washboard will you?!_ " every few rounds had Chelsea hiding under her bed in fear and Najenda concerned about her red headed subordinate's safety….and Mein hadn't even tried out the attachments yet!

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Prime Minister- Scratch that, _Lord Protector_ Honest was in a bad mood. He genuinely expected the Empire to fold in the face of his new Commonwealth but it seemed that the young Emperor Makoto somehow managed to rally his people. As disgusted with the situation as Honest was; even he couldn't deny the boy was a superb orator. Even worse, many of Honest's 'firm' supporters got cold feet and decided they would be safer under the aegis of the Crown rather than the new Commonwealth.

For all of the propaganda Honest's people had spread around it seemed that only a third of the capitol was in favor of the new regime Honest was promoting. Just as bad, the Lord Protector was wheelchair bound and looked like a total mess. He could operate behind the scenes but if anyone saw him in this state he'd be a laughing stock. The idea of him presenting the image of a dynamic leader was out the window. Honest was doing well to get to the restroom without help; let alone be _Lord Protector_ of the realm. The worst thing of all was the **_FOOD_** though. Honest was quite spoiled to the most sumptuous delicacies that money could buy and the subpar cooking here at his new headquarters was less than palatable. _All the good ingredients were locked away in the damned Imperial Palace!_ It was a hard life being the Lord Protector….It was so bad that Honest was actually losing weight!

The military forces Honest had on his side were a mixed bag. Most of them were the most corrupt and detestable Generals from the Empire….and therefore easily bought. Some were better than others at fighting but the core of the well trained and disciplined Generals supported the Emperor thanks to that old man Chevic. The Navy was out of the question given they were a bunch of damn traditionalists. Honest was currently courting the idea of striking a deal with the Revolutionary Army to bastion his forces. He knew they wanted to be rid of the Empire but he wasn't sure what their stance on the newly born Commonwealth was. Lord Protector Honest would just have to play politics again….It was a game he'd mastered a long time ago….

 **The Jaeger's Hidden Bunker**

Akame's little group made it to the southern area of the capitol at sunset. It had taken most of the day to get down through the city to the area where the building that the hidden bunker was under. Naruto had kept count and there had been sixteen minor skirmishes and a major one they'd seen on their sojourn to the south side of the capitol. The one positive thing about the southern area was there wasn't much fighting going on because there was so little to gain. The area was never wealthy and was hit hard by the recession so it was mainly slums and abandoned buildings. Late that night Akame's group entered the building and went through a set of passageways and made it down to the sewer drains. After travelling a way they came to a recessed door that looked like a maintenance hatch. Esdeath quickly punched in the correct codes and the hatch opened silently. They went through four more hatches and two grates before Akame and the others reached their destination….

Esdeath punched in the codes to the bunker itself and they found the place was pitch black. Flipping on the light switch, everyone saw a very dingy looking lab. Once everyone was inside Esdeath closed the door behind them. "This is the place." said the light blue haired beauty. "You wouldn't know it but this room conceals a passage that leads to some rather nice living quarters."

"You mean behind that wall panel?" asked Hinata, Sakura and Naruto at the same time as they _all_ pointed to a non-descript wall panel on the right.

Akame raised her eyebrows in surprise but Esdeath nearly face faulted. "Okay…." said the former General. "I understand why _Hinata_ could spot it because she can see through walls. _How_ did you spot it so instantly Naruto-kun; Sakura?"

"The cobwebs on the ceiling are displaced where the door panel pivots." said Sakura as Naruto nodded in agreement. "It's also obvious that it happened very recently." She walked over and pointed to various spots were someone had brushed against the wall or the hidden door. "Someone rested their fingers on the wall and their thumb here on the door. You can also make out that someone nudged the door open with their foot here." added the pink haired medic as she pointed to an almost invisible spot on the floor.

"….There really is no place to hide from you ninjas is there?" asked Esdeath in a flat tone. "I was at least _hoping_ to surprise you."

Naruto smiled and kissed Esdeath's nose. "We're _ninjas_ Esdeath-chan. It's part of our job description to find hidden things." Esdeath blushed but then returned her boyfriend's smile.

Akame got up close to the spots on the wall and floor that Sakura pointed out. "They're barely visible but I can see them too now that the places have been pointed out. I don't know about you Esdeath but I'm amazed." Turning to the three ninjas Akame said, "You guys all spotted that in a heartbeat. I wish I had your training."

Esdeath opened the (not so hidden) door and they saw two sets of shoes there. It was easy to discern that they belonged to a man and a petite woman. "Kurome…." whispered Akame.

"Remember Akame-chan, they may be hostile to you." cautioned Naruto. "You need to be careful."

Esdeath said, "Let me lead Akame. As my former subordinates they are less likely to have a negative reaction to me."

Leading them into a well lit common area that was more or less a living room with a kitchen attached they all noticed items sitting about such as recently washed dishes that left no doubts that someone was staying there. Hearing a noise from behind one of the bedroom doors, Esdeath and Akame shot over to it and knocked before flinging the door open. That's when Akame saw her little sister for the first time in months….

" ** _OH GIVE IT TO ME WAVE!_** " yelled Kurome as she rode her lover cowgirl style. Wave was running his hands over Kurome's petite breasts as they both climaxed as one. Kurome was staring with lustful eyes at the ceiling as the shockwaves of her orgasm travelled through her body. The enormous smile she had on her face showed just how high she was. For his part Wave's whole body was ridged as he released inside his lover with a groan of ecstasy.

Akame's red eyes were as big as dinner plates as she stared in utter shock. "K-K-Kurume-chan?"

Suddenly Kurome looked over at the open door with her dark eyes full of surprise. ""A-Akame nee-chan?"

Both sisters were sporting full body blushes and Wave and Kurome were locked in position as they both stared at Akame. Akame said in a completely flustered squeak, "I-I'll come back later. S-sorry for disturbing you!" With that Akame vanished so quickly that it could have been mistaken for a body flicker….which revealed a wide eyed Esdeath staring at her former subordinates in shock.

Esdeath stared in silence for a moment blushing before she said, "Ummm….Well! This was unexpected….Akame and I will wait outside in the common room while you two finish up. Carry on." Esdeath closed the door behind her making sure to lock it on her way out.

When Esdeath came back into the common room she found Akame looking out of sorts talking quietly to Hinata who was trying to calm her down. "I'm sure it was mortifying and embarrassing Akame-chan but accidents happen." soothed the indigo haired beauty. "I should have checked with my byakugan before you two opened the door."

Esdeath sat down by Naruto shakily and said, "That was the _last thing_ I would have predicted Naruto-kun. I knew the two of them got along but….I just don't know what to say."

….

About an hour later a showered and dressed Kurome poked her head around the corner and saw Akame sitting with Esdeath and three other people she didn't recognize. Akame looked up and the sister's eyes met again before they both blushed and looked away. "You need to say something Akame-chan." urged Naruto.

Akame looked back up at her little sister and said in a small voice, "Ummm….So how have you been Kurome-chan?"

The three ninjas and Esdeath all sweat dropped and thought, ' _Well, that was awkward_.'

Kurome's tone matched her sister's exactly. "Ummm….I've been good."

Esdeath took command and said, "Kurome and Wave, come out here and stop hiding!" The pair zipped out and stood at attention before Esdeath. The light blue haired woman nodded in satisfaction and said, "We're just here to talk, be seated."

Kurome and Wave sat down and some rather awkward introductions were made between the ninjas and the last two Jaegers. Finally Akame said, "I hired Sakura, Naruto and Hinata to help find you Kurome. Sakura is an amazing medic and I think she can treat you for all the damage those enhancement drugs have caused. I'm not asking you to join Night Raid or anything but please let her examine you. I want to help you Kurome-chan."

The younger sister teared up and said, "I'm happy you're here Akame nee-chan. I'll let you examine me if it will help." Kurome looked over at Esdeath who nodded in approval at her decision and Wave gently squeezed Kurome's hand to reassure her.

Wave asked, "How did you escape General Esdeath? Which side are you on now?"

Esdeath answered, "I'm on the side of the Revolutionary Army now. Night Raid was responsible for retrieving me from the Elemental Continent and I owe Honest several lifetimes' worth of pain and I'm going to destroy him. I don't know where you two stand but I hope you will join me. The main concern is Kurome's health right now. Our mission is to help here. Even if you decide to stay with the Empire we will part peacefully….But if you decide to join the other side I will show you no mercy next time we meet; former subordinates or otherwise."

Naruto hugged Esdeath. "Esdeath-chan, you don't have to threaten them."

The light blue haired woman sighed and said, "Sorry….Old habits die hard."

Kurome and Wave were more shocked by Naruto and Esdeath's interaction than being walked in on earlier in the heat of the moment. They both stared at Naruto goggle eyed. ' _What_ _ **is**_ _he?_ " thought the couple in unison.

Naruto noticed the pair gawking at him and said, "Can I help you?" Kurome and Wave quickly shook their heads 'no' rapidly.

….

The group had dinner together and spoke about Esdeath's imprisonment and how Naruto and Sakura rescued her and helped her recover. Kurome explained how the Commonwealth tried to kill them and seize their Teigus. They all agreed to get a good night's sleep and have Sakura examine Kurome in the morning. The all day trip had been taxing on Akame's group and Sakura wanted to be in top form before she did a thorough exam of this nature.

After everyone said their good nights Kurome knocked on Akame's door and found her older sister hadn't gone to bed yet. "Nee-chan, can we talk?" asked Kurome.

Akame was a bit surprised but invited Kurome in. Soon the two sisters were sitting side by side on the bed. Akame asked, "What did you want to talk about Kurome-chan?"

Kurome said quietly, "I doubt I'll live another year. My body is failing piece by piece. Wave is the only reason I started wanting to live again. I'm so happy you are here and we can be sisters again." She hugged Akame. "I love you nee-chan."

The red eyed girl embraced her little sister as tears slid down her face. "Kurome-chan, don't give up. If anyone can fix the damage Sakura can. I don't care what it takes."

"I'm an assassin….I'll get what's coming to me." said Kurome sadly. "You're my only relative Akame nee-chan. Will you give your blessing on me being with Wave even for a little while?"

Akame smiled softly and said, "I know Wave is a good man. If you two are happy together then of course you have my blessing."

"Thank you nee-chan…." whispered Kurome. The two siblings held each other for a little while before they bid one another goodnight.

….

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

The members of Night Raid were sitting down for dinner. Chelsea raised an eyebrow and said, "I just realized how much less we cook when Akame isn't here. I wonder where she packs all that meat."

Leone said, "We've had a long going theory that Akame's stomach actually leads to another dimension which is a bottomless void."

"Makes sense." agreed Chelsea.

Mein sighed and looked at Najenda. "How do you think Akame and her team are doing boss? I know it goes without saying but Akame is grasping at straws with Kurome. I feel really bad for both of them but almost all those drug enhanced assassins died from side effects if they weren't killed in battle."

Najenda nodded. "Whatever happens we have to do our best to support Akame. Even if by some miracle Sakura is able to save Kurome's life we don't know where her loyalties will lie. It would be heart shattering for Akame if Kurome decided to support the Empire or worse the Commonwealth after being healed. I don't pray much but I'll be praying for Akame's sake tonight and that of Kurome. It's really all we can do."

Leone said. "Don't ask me why but having travelled with Esdeath I think she could convince Kurome and Wave to join our side. They could be a big help to us."

"Esdeath always did have tremendous charisma with her troops and is an outstanding leader." said Najenda. "I just wish she wasn't such a sadist…."

They all just shook their heads at that one….Still, having Esdeath on their side was tons better than having her as an enemy.

….

 **The Jaeger's Hidden Bunker**

The next morning Sakura was carefully going over Kurome's body with a deep scanning diagnostic jutsu. The medic thought to herself, ' _Every single organ is severely damaged. Those drugs overstrained everything. It's as if a hundred extra years of wear and tear has been put on Kurome's body. She must be so used to the pain and fatigue that she accepts it as normal. I've examined geriatrics in better condition. She's a complete burnout. The fact her mind is intact is a miracle. Even if I could formulate a counteragent for the drugs her body is addicted to there's no way I could save her. Keeping her on the body enhancers would probably keep her alive longer than if I took her off of them. Whoever did this to her deserves to burn in every kind of hell imaginable_.'

Without showing any signs of despair Sakura asked Kurome, "How many other people were in this body enhancement program Kurome?"

The dark haired girl smiled in a sad way. "I don't know how many went through the program but as far as I know they were all killed in the line of duty or euthanized once their bodies wore out. I'm the only one left I think."

Sakura's emerald eyes widened. "Euthanized? Why?"

Kurome answered, "The Empire couldn't waste valuable resources on keeping assassins alive that couldn't fulfill their duties. When I left with Wave I knew it was only a matter of time. I'd rather die with the man I love than get a lethal injection in a chamber. I guess that's selfish of me huh?"

Suddenly Sakura's eyes turned hard as steel. "You are a **_human being_** Kurome. What they did to you is unforgivable." Kurome's eyes widened as Sakura's eyes seemed to ignite with determination. "You just wait right here Kurome. I'll be right back."

Kurome laid there wondering what was going on when Sakura came back in ten minutes later dragging in Naruto in a headlock with Akame and Wave trailing behind. The pinkette said, "Naruto; you saved Gai-sensei, you revived Obito from death and you repaired all the damage to Esdeath's body from being almost an invalid. You can do the same for Kurome. You **_will_** do the same for Kurome damn it!"

Naruto was seeing spots from the lack of oxygen and said "Need….air….Sakura-chan!"

Hinata and Esdeath were in the room by now and glaring at Sakura. Sakura looked embarrassed as she released Naruto from being suffocated. "Oops; sorry Naruto!"

The blonde gave his pink haired teammate a withering stare and said accusingly, "That temper; it _must_ be genetic. I don't know how but I just _know_ you are secretly related to baa-chan!"

Sakura blushed and said. "I said I was sorry! Anyway, use your six path's sage mode and heal Kurome. You are capable of regeneration of this nature; I'm not."

Akame asked, "What is going on? I thought you were the medic Sakura."

"I am." said Sakura. "But there are certain things Naruto can accomplish that I can't. Trust me on this."

Naruto said, "It's all right Akame-chan. Do you know the form I took before I went into tailed beast mode when I was glowing yellow?" The red eyed girl nodded. "I can heal others in that form as well. It's just not conventional healing. I'll do my best to heal Kurome so don't worry Akame-chan. Everyone take a step back. Kurome, don't be frightened." Naruto closed his eyes and took one his six paths sage form. He was glowing yellow with the truth seeking balls orbiting around him. Kurome and Wave's eyes widened as Naruto's power washed over them like a tsunami. Naruto nodded to himself and said, "Alright Kurome, here we go." Naruto placed two fingers over Kurome's heart and she felt the gentle warmth of sage healing chakra start to course through her body. Kurome exhaled as her body seemed to melt into a state of bliss. She'd been in pain so long that her body seemed euphoric at **_not_** feeling pain.

Naruto was instinctively sending chakra wherever it was needed. Unlike when he healed Esdeath and revitalized her; this felt more like when he healed Gai-sensei. Kurome was bordering on death. _'I think that Kurome is alive through pure willpower_.' he thought seriously. ' _No wonder Sakura-chan wanted my help. I just hope this is completely successful. It's not like I'm an expert at it_.' Naruto's chakra gradually reenergized every cell in Kurome's body until he felt what he was seeking; peace and balance. When Naruto removed his hand Kurome took a deep breath of air and felt **_alive_** again. "It's done." said Naruto tiredly. He wasn't out of chakra by a long way but the mental fatigue was tiring to him. Naruto took a step back and Sakura stepped in with her hands glowing with green chakra.

Sakura said, "Relax and remain still Kurome. Kurome felt Sakura's warm healing chakra scanning her body. Sakura moved about with practiced ease. "Heart…lungs….liver….kidneys…." Sakura seemed to be reciting a medical textbook as she went over Kurome's slender body in extreme detail. Twenty-five minutes later Sakura said, "All of the drugs and residual poisons have been purged from your body Kurome. Every organ is alive and functioning properly. Even your skin is healthier. You're going to be just fine now. You should plan on living a long, long time. Try sitting up."

Kurome sat up easily and said, "I don't hurt….I don't feel hollow. It's like my whole body is full of life again!" She had tears in her eyes when Wave embraced her. "Wave…!" she whispered. As he held her she realized that even her senses of touch and smell had been affected by the drugs….Wave's bodily warmth and even the smell of the sea that always was on him seemed enhanced. Kurome held her lover in a tight embrace for a long while just absorbing the feeling of being alive….

"Is Kurome really going to be alright?" asked Akame through unshed tears.

Sakura nodded and smiled. "The only thing she should die of is old age Akame." she patted Naruto on the shoulder. "The knucklehead did a great job." Akame hugged Naruto tightly and burst into tears thanking him. He reassured her that everything was going to be all right and she had her sister back for real now. By the time Akame calmed down she was emotionally exhausted.

For the first time since they were separated as children Akame and Kurome hugged each other both feeling like a family again….

POSTSCRIPT:

This chapter was written in sections but it seemed to flow nicely enough when everything was put together. Akame and Kurome have been united as a family again but what side will Kurome and Wave decide to join? The battle between the Empire and the Commonwealth has not been the sweeping victory that _Lord Protector_ Honest envisioned. Actually it's already started to bog down. Next chapter we'll see some of the goings on from the Empire's side of things as well as the further adventures of Night Raid. Blue out. 2/17/16


	15. Chapter 15

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This took a _lot_ longer than planned. I had a bit of writer's block on a couple of plot points so this chapter got _seriously_ _d_ elayed. In the meantime I worked out another chapter of _**Darkness Rising**_ and a new one shot/prologue called _**Himawari and the Ghosts of the Past**_ for those interested. Since I've had several people requesting updates for my various stories; please check my profile as they are all listed there and the precedence they are in. With all that said, here is _**Trapped Under Ice**_ chapter 15. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _Kurome sat up easily and said, "I don't hurt….I don't feel hollow. It's like my whole body is full of life again!" She had tears in her eyes when Wave embraced her. "Wave…!" she whispered. As he held her she realized that even her senses of touch and smell had been affected by the drugs….Wave's bodily warmth and even the smell of the sea that always was on him seemed enhanced. Kurome held her lover in a tight embrace for a long while just absorbing the feeling of being alive…._

 _"Is Kurome really going to be alright?" asked Akame through unshed tears._

 _Sakura nodded and smiled. "The only thing she should die of is old age Akame." she patted Naruto on the shoulder. "The knucklehead did a great job." Akame hugged Naruto tightly and burst into tears thanking him. He reassured her that everything was going to be all right and she had her sister back for real now. By the time Akame calmed down she was emotionally exhausted._

 _For the first time since they were separated as children Akame and Kurome hugged each other both feeling like a family again…._

Chapter 15

 **Imperial Capitol, The Imperial Palace**

Emperor Makoto was sitting in his throne room as his advisors gave their various reports. Without (former) Prime Minister Honest there it seemed that they weren't as afraid to speak their minds and a lot of ugly truths had come to light. However; the young Emperor was glad for it because a lot of long standing problems he wasn't even aware of that could now be addressed. Currently the Emperor was listening to the reports on the status of the Village of Malum and the destruction of the danger beast Anasi.

"Sire, _all_ of the reports of a colossal fox slaying the danger beast Anasi have been confirmed. The locals say it is called Kurama." said a thin advisor. "Our troops have investigated at footprints which correlate with a fox of that size all match up. The only explanation we can think of is it is some kind of lost Teigu that the Revolutionary Army must now possess that was previously unknown to us. No danger beast ever recorded could appear and disappear in that manner let alone _talk_. It has also been confirmed that former General Esdeath was present and protected the village with a massive ice barrier. Several villagers confirmed seeing her and her Teigu; _The Demon's Extract_ is the only thing capable of creating such an ice barrier we know of. It can only be assumed she was rescued from her imprisonment by the Revolutionary Army and has joined them as a result. She is a great loss to us."

"What of our efforts to help the Village of Malum recover?" asked he young Emperor.

"Despite that fact that a lot of farmland was destroyed in the battle between Anasi and the fox Kurama our efforts have made sure that there have been no food or medical supply shortages and neighboring villages are helping out. Our aid has been a complete success." said the same advisor.

"Shouldn't we be spending more money on our armed forces than on a village on the frontier Sire?" asked another advisor.

Emperor Makoto shook his head. "The Imperial Treasury is sending out aid and we are lowering the taxes a bit everywhere to help the people as well. Our standing Army is well funded; especially since many defected to the Commonwealth and we no longer have to pay them. I want to reach our people and give them the message that the Empire is changing and the Commonwealth is the enemy. Honest is the biggest threat we have. I believe if we work towards bettering our people's lives then the Revolutionary Army might be willing to make peace with us. Honest did many horrible things in my name and the Empire must be cleansed of his vile taint."

Several advisors nodded in assent. Distancing themselves from Honest as much as possible was a wise policy. Even more to the point, The Commonwealth controlled areas of the Capitol were suffering from _raised_ taxes to fund Honest's ambitions which made the _Lord Protector_ and his so called _Commonwealth_ look even worse.

Makoto sighed. "How goes our war against the Commonwealth? Have we made any progress?"

A goateed advisor said, "We have made several significant gains in the northern and eastern parts of the Capitol but General Chevic is being cautious to ensure those areas are consolidated before we move forward. It is slow going but it is progress."

"Your Majesty, I believe General Chevic's conservative policy is for the best." said another advisor. "We can't expect the Commonwealth to fall overnight."

"I trust General Chevic's decisions on this matter." replied the young Emperor. "His experience spans decades. It is a shame that we do not have General Esdeath on our side as well though. I have no doubt in my mind that she bears a personal grudge against Honest and would be a valuable ally to have against him."

 _The young Emperor Makoto was being forced to grow up quickly but his loyal advisors were amazed at how up to the task the young man had proven himself to be_ ….

 **The Jaeger's Hidden Bunker**

Kurome woke up in the arms of her lover Wave. She hadn't felt this good in….well, ever. She woke him up with a kiss.

Wave reciprocated and hugged her lithe body against his. He smiled and said, "Good morning Kurome-chan. How are you feeling?"

"I feel wonderful!" said Kurome happily. She propped her head up on one arm. "Wave, what should we do now? I….I want to join Akame nee-chan and General Esdeath. I know you are loyal to the Empire, but-"

"Kurome-chan, the Empire I was loyal to because of my mentor has fallen and the Commonwealth is corrupt beyond redemption." said Wave. "I never thought I'd say this but let's join the Revolutionary Army. As long as we are together everything will turn out. I love you Kurome-chan."

Kurome smiled and kissed he lover. "I love you too Wave. Maybe we can make a real difference with the Revolutionary Army. Maybe we can end this awful war forever."

….

When the pair got up they were greeted by a _very_ happy Esdeath and Hinata who both sitting snuggled up to Naruto on the couch. (Fortunately Naruto had put up some silencing seals so they wouldn't wake up anyone else with their _activities_ last night). Akame was fixing some breakfast with the help of two of Naruto's clones and Sakura was in a good mood as well seeing Kurome was in such high spirits and good health.

"Good morning you two." greeted Sakura. Everyone exchanged greetings and Wave and Kurome were both puzzled about Hinata and Esdeath _both_ exchanging hugs and kisses with Naruto. Seeing their confusion Sakura said quietly to Kurome and Wave, "Both Hinata and Esdeath are Naruto's girlfriends. I don't know how it works but they all seem happy." Both Jaegers looked bug eyed but decided it was better not to ask about it….

The group sat down and had a nice breakfast together (Akame and Kurome both happily eating far more than they theoretically weighed). After that the discussion quickly turned to what Kurome and Wave planned to do. "We want to see this war end." said Wave. "Kurome-chan and I discussed it and we would like to join you in Night Raid. You have no idea how grateful I am that Kurome-chan is healed. I'll never be able to repay that debt."

Akame hugged her little sister. "It looks like we once again will be on the same side Kurome-chan. You don't know how happy that makes me." She turned to the Konoha Ninjas. "I will forever be in your debt; especially you Naruto-kun. You gave me my little sister back."

Esdeath said, "I guess the best thing to do is remain incognito and return to Night Raid's hideout then." It was obvious she was very pleased that Kurume and Wave were joining.

"Not to bring up a bad subject but whatever happened to the Teigu Incursio?" asked Wave. "I never heard anything other than Tatsumi died."

"I suspect it was put in the Imperial vaults for storage." said Esdeath in a depressed tone. "It's probably in the hands of the Empire though it's possible the Commonwealth has it. I doubt they'll find anyone strong enough to wield it. Both Hundred Killer Bulat and Tatsumi were exceptional warriors." she added sadly.

"What about Naruto here?" asked Wave. "His power is unbelievable from what I can tell."

Naruto shook his head. "Thanks but we ninjas have no need for Teigus. They seem to be chakra conductive items that more or less 'grant' jutsus. We ninjas can use jutsus without them so there is simply no point."

"Interesting." said Wave. "What are ninjas exactly?"

"We are mercenaries and assassins from the Elemental Continent." said Hinata. "Akame-chan hired us to heal Kurome and we are all very happy that worked out."

Akame asked, "So what are you ninjas going to now Naruto-kun? I don't want you to leave but technically your mission is complete."

"We have orders to stay here for two or three of months until the heat wears off in Konoha." said Hinata. "The fact that Naruto-kun, Esdeath-chan and I are together was a very hot topic and a lot of people in Konoha were up in arms about it." ' _I hope Team Hinata and Team Esdeath have been stomped out when we finally get back_ ….' thought Hinata with a cringe.

"….And I'm to stay with the team." said Sakura. "We haven't discussed it heavily but I think we'll be staying with Night Raid and helping out like we did with the danger beast Anasi."

"Anasi was said to be stopped by a gigantic fox of some sort." said Kurome. The whole Capitol has been buzzing about it but the Commonwealth claims it was something staged and has denied it really happened."

"It was all real. That fox was Naruto-kun with his partner Kurama." said Esdeath. "The Commonwealth trying to cover it up sounds like a poorly thought out propaganda move. The whole Village of Malum saw it after all."

Kurome gasped, "Then you took out that monster spider by yourself Naruto?"

"No, my partner Kurama and I took Anasi out _together_." explained Naruto. "He's a great fox spirit that was sealed in me at birth. Kurama is my good friend."

"Wow." said Wave.

"Wow indeed." said Esdeath as she hugged Naruto. "Naruto-kun has more power than any Teigu. He's more like a force of nature than a mere warrior."

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Lord Protector Honest was _not_ happy. He made an awful oversight in that he never _dreamed_ the young Emperor Makoto would utilize the vast fortune of the Imperial Treasury to help the common people. The brat was lowering taxes and sending financial aid where it was needed to the people _out of_ _his own pocket_. Honest figured the boy would use it to live in decadent luxury just as Honest would have. ' _What's the point in having riches if you don't spend them on yourself?'_ thought Honest puzzled. Sadly, the Commonwealth didn't have that kind of financial padding. They had to double the taxes in the areas they controlled to support the war effort. Of course it was all advertised as a short term measure to ' _overthrow the Imperial Tyranny_ ' but Emperor Makoto's moves were invalidating that endeavor. Word on the street was more and more people supported the Empire and the Commonwealth's initial popularity was falling. They were losing momentum _fast_.

On top of that a massive propaganda campaign was launched by the Empire targeting Honest personally and the many atrocities he'd committed behind the Emperor's back. Makoto _abolished_ the public executions that Honest used to rule through fear when he was in control. Pictures of Honest's torture chambers where being circulated around and the Emperor was proclaiming they were being banned as well. The citizens in the Empire controlled areas were convinced that Honest was the most vile creature that ever lived and wanted him brought to justice by **_any_** means necessary. Lord Protector Honest never dreamed that Emperor Makoto would counter him so adroitly. ' _Since when has that brat had so much political prowess? To think I've gone from being the people's_ _ **champion**_ _to utterly_ _ **demonized**_ _overnight completely baffles me_.' thought the former Prime Minister.

Things didn't look good on the military front either. Aside of the fact that old General Chevic was slowly but surely eating away at the fringes of the Commonwealth; a _nightmare_ had arisen on the frontier. Not only did the Revolutionary Army have an undocumented Teigu that could make a city leveling fox; **_ESDEATH_** _had returned_. There was no doubt in Honest's mind that the relentless Ice Queen was back at full power given the wall of ice she made around the Village of Malum. ' _Just_ _ **how**_ _did they get that damned Amulet off of her anyway?_ ' wondered the tyrant. Even worse than that; Esdeath would be gunning for him personally for imprisoning her. Knowing Esdeath she would be _screaming_ for vengeance and no one would dare to stand in her way. Still worse; Esdeath was intelligent as she was sadistic so luring her into some sort of trap would be nigh impossible….

Several of the Commonwealth's generals nearly pissed themselves in fear of the very _idea_ Esdeath's wrath. ' _A few of my Commonwealth Generals actually tried to_ _ **defect**_ _to the Revolutionary Army just because of_ _ **her**_ _. I'm not sure what to think or how to counter her. General Esdeath's sadistic reputation alone can do severe damage without her even lifting a finger. God only knows what will happen if she goes on the warpath_.' thought Honest to himself. The bloated politician was far more worried than he let on. If his men knew how truly frightened he was they would abandon him in a heartbeat. ' _My best option is to gain the support of the Revolutionary Army_.' thought Honest. ' _I have to convince them that I will help them overthrow the Emperor and that the Commonwealth is the new government they've always wanted. Then Esdeath can be neutralized by cutting a deal with them_.'

Unfortunately for Honest he was in so much pain from the injuries he suffered that he was eating pain medications like candy. He was still stuck in a wheelchair and his back injury had him in agony. His doctors warned him that he could easily become addicted to the pain killing narcotics but Honest figured he had an iron will and it wouldn't be an issue. Honest may have been in denial but his subordinates weren't. The Lord Protector of the Commonwealth was showing early signs of becoming a junkie and his followers were concerned that the Commonwealth might quickly fall apart without his leadership….

Still, the Lord Protector had his own _secret_ weapons….

A gaunt, bald man wearing a monocle** came in and kneeled before Honest. "Lord Protector Honest, I cannot thank you enough for rescuing me and my men from that fool of an Emperor. He felt that the drug augmentation program to make superior assassins was of all things, ' _immoral_.' The boy has no concept of reality if he thinks he can make do without such a program. Only an enlightened leader such as yourself can lead our war torn country to its proper place at the head of the nations on this continent."

Honest soaked up the praise and asked, "Have you started a new assassination program yet Commandant?"

"I have laid the groundwork but we really need new recruits to build from the ground up to match the likes of Kurome which was our finest achievement." said the monocle wearing man. "Sadly Kurome is lost to us but she's sure to have expired by now. Her body simply couldn't have lasted any longer. There is no doubt in my mind that she is dead."

"It's a shame we couldn't reclaim her Teigu…." grouched Honest. "What about the _other_ project you have going?"

The Commandant gave an evil smile. He was _obviously_ pleased with himself. "The first one is already fit for duty though she still needs some testing." said the man. "Two more are nearly to that point. Reviving the dead has taken years you know. It's fortunate that the test subjects bodies were so well preserved here in Commonwealth controlled areas. Allow me to introduce you to her. Come in and make your introductions my dear."

A voluptuous young lady with striking blue eyes and blonde hair walked into the room with a slight sway in her hips. She bowed politely and said, "It is an honor to meet you Lord Protector Honest. I live to serve the Commonwealth as an elite assassin. I wield the rebuilt Shingu **_Pulverization King_** _***_. My name is Cornelia of the _Elite Seven_.

Honest smiled widely, "So Shingu, unlike Tiegu can be repaired with our technology. This girl is one of the seven who trained under Gozuki with Akame of the legendary Murasame. Shouldn't it be the _Elite Six_ then Commandant?"

The Commandant smiled cruelly. "A suitable replacement has been found for the traitorous Akame, Lord Protector Honest. I'm pleased to say they have all been successfully restored with all of their skills and memories intact. However, their loyalty now lies completely with the Commonwealth. But it will be a few weeks before they are all fully combat ready."

"I am most pleased Commandant." said Honest with a manic grin. Turning to Cornelia he said, "I cannot wait to hear the successes you and your squad will no doubt achieve my dear. What do you think of facing your former comrade Akame, young Cornelia?"

Cornelia's eyes gleamed. "If Akame will not join us in supporting the Commonwealth then it will be our duty to end her and regain the Murasame for our own forces."

The Commandant nodded in approval. "It is time for you to return to your exercises with the others Cornelia. We need you at one hundred percent to perform your assigned tasks."

Cornelia bowed gracefully and excused herself.

"Such a young beauty. Do you think this new Elite Seven will be strong enough to face Night Raid and the likes?" asked Honest.

The Commandant adjusted his ever present eye piece. "They all died younger and less experienced and Akame has survived countless trials since then so they will be at a disadvantage there. They also only wield Shingus as opposed to Teigus but I am of the opinion that their teamwork and familiarity with each other's skills will somewhat compensate for that. They aren't ready to assault the Imperial Palace yet if that is what you are asking though."

"What about the seventh member?" asked Honest. "I would imagine that elite assassins on that level are hard to find."

The Commandant said with a chuckle, "She was a fortuitous find Lord Protector. Her name is Taeko and she was part of the Revolutionary Army. She now serves the Commonwealth as well and wields the Shingu **_Kiiriichi Monji_** which is the very blade that Akame used to cut her down with. Life and death hold some cruel ironies, wouldn't you agree Lord Protector?"

The two men laughed together as they carelessly toyed with the lives of their subordinates once again….

 **The Jaeger's Hidden Bunker**

Akame's Team set out at nightfall wearing cloaks to conceal their identities. It was easy enough to slip back through the Capitol towards home. Since Chevic's Armies seized several of the key areas that were contested the battle filled no man's land that Akame and the others travelled through previously weren't full of pitched battles any longer. By avoiding Imperial guard stations the group of seven made it to the northern edge of the Capitol by morning and after making sure they were in the clear the group headed towards Night Raid's Hideout.

"The trip back was a lot easier than the trip down wouldn't you say Naruto-kun?" asked Akame.

' _Naruto-kun? Akame sure seems a lot friendlier with Naruto now_.' thought Sakura. " _I hope she knows what she's doing_.'

Naruto nodded to Akame. "The same areas we crossed were fully under control of the Empire now Akame-chan. Things seemed a lot more organized too. What do you think Esdeath-chan?"

"The troops we saw on the way back were veterans instead of those ill organized raw recruits we saw on the way down." said Esdeath. "Najenda told me that old man Chevic was probably in charge and that would explain things. He's not the best field commander but he's a damn good strategist. If it is him he's making sure his supply lines are secure before he makes his next big push. His style of command is nothing like mine but I respect the old coot. If I was him I'd sweep south next but he may have a totally different agenda in mind."

"But isn't General Chevic _really_ old General Esdeath?" asked Kurome.

"Yes, but he still has a sharp mind and the Eastern division has been under his General Staff's command for decades." replied the light blue haired beauty. "He has a well trained and efficient staff. Chevic is also as loyal to the crown as General Budo was. Make no mistake; if the Emperor chose General Chevic as the strategic commander of the Imperial Army it was a good choice."

"What is the Revolutionary Army going to do next with this civil war going on in the Capitol?" asked Wave.

"That's a question for our boss Najenda, Wave." said Akame. "This whole Civil War situation was completely unexpected and I have no idea what Revolutionary high command intends to do about it."

"Well, _we_ certainly didn't expect it nee-chan." said Kurome. "The Commonwealth tried to kill us and take our Teigus out of the blue after all."

"It's a bad situation all around." said Esdeath. "I was _born_ to fight but even _I_ want this entire war to end." ' _The Partas clan will be reborn through the Uzumakis as will the Hyūga line. Our clan will be the strongest of all_.' thought the former General as she glanced at Naruto and Hinata. ' _Our clan will be great_.'

….

 **Northern Path**

It had been an hour since Akame's party of seven got out of the Capitol when they ran into some unexpected obstacles…Commonwealth troops. "You can't cross here." said a man in a blue and white uniform. "By the orders of Lord Protector Honest you are to surrender for abandoning the Commonwealth. Shed those cloaks and show your faces deserters."

Unfortunately for him the group of seven complied….

"G-general Esdeath and A-Akame of Night Raid? ….And the two missing Jaegers…?" said the leader in fear.

"Wesson I believe?" asked Esdeath. "It's been awhile you _pathetic peon_."

The now named Wesson's teeth were chattering in fright. He had seventy-five men but the opponent's he was facing were **_MONSTERS!_** "A-a-attack them! Kill them all!" he screamed in panic.

Akame said, "None must know we were here. _Eliminate them_."

Kurome drew her blade Yatsufusa and shot at the enemy for the first time since her body had been restored. She was flanking her sister Akame that drew Murasame simultaneously. The siblings were like black blurs to their opponents and men were dying too fast for the eye to follow. Esdeath drew her rapier and smiled. "I won't even need to use my Teigu for this." she said as she cut a swath through her enemies.

"Should we join in Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

"I don't know that they really need any help against these grunts." said Naruto with a sweat drop. "Besides, Esdeath-chan seems to be enjoying herself."

"I feel like we should be doing something though." said Wave.

The three ninjas turned to him. "We're kind of hired guns but why aren't you fighting?" asked Sakura.

Wave looked embarrassed. "I was admiring my Kurome-chan. She seems so much stronger than she ever was since she has been healed."

A few troops charged towards them and Wave prepared to fight but Sakura punched the earth splitting it which caused the charging men to stumble to the ground. Hinata body flickered among the downed soldiers and finished them with a mass of pinpoint juken strikes in mere seconds.

Within a couple of minutes the only one left alive was Wesson and he was staring wildly in sheer terror at the bodies from the miniature massacre that took place around him. Esdeath adjusted her General's Cap and walked over to the now petrified man. Hinata already took all his weapons and the man was on his knees before the light blue haired General. "Well, long time no see Wesson." said Esdeath conversationally. "Still working for that bloated abomination Honest I see. Weren't you some kind of lapdog messenger for him? I never knew you had any training as an officer."

"U-ummm, Lady Esdeath, I-I was promoted by him for serving him faithfully in the Commonwealth." said the shaking man through chattering teeth. He was white as a sheet.

Esdeath nodded. "So you no longer serve the _Lord Protector_ personally?"

Wesson shook his head no rapidly. "I have not seen Lord Protector Honest since the Commonwealth was started. I was stationed here to capture deserters."

"Too bad; without recent information I guess you are of no use to me then." said Esdeath. A second later Wesson was frozen solid and Esdeath flicked him with her finger which caused Wesson to shatter into a thousand bloody shards of ice.

"Is that how you used to dismiss all your former employees my hime?" asked Naruto with a sweat drop.

Esdeath smiled and hugged Naruto. "No; I usually tortured them to death as slowly and painfully as I could. But I think you ninja's more efficient ways of dealing with prisoners is better even if it isn't as much _fun_."

Everyone face faulted at that comment….And Sakura quickly checked over everyone for injuries.

"How do you feel Kurome-chan?" asked Wave.

"I've never felt so strong in my life!" said Kurome enthusiastically as Sakura looked her over.

"Everyone is fine." said Sakura. "Let's get underway again. Naruto, do you want to hide the evidence?"

Naruto nodded and placed his hand on the ground. Using an earth jutsu the bodies were all pulled below the surface leaving no trace the battle with the Commonwealth ever existed. "That's kind of frightening." said Wave looking at the apparently undisturbed earth. Kurome was nodding along.

"What they don't know won't hurt _us_." said Sakura. "A good ninja leaves no traces that they were ever there. The Commonwealth will just have to wonder what happened to their missing troops."

….

 **The Path to Night Raid's Hideout**

Chelsea was flying around in the form of a hawk when she spotted the seven travelers. She then saw Hinata lower her hood and waved up at her with a smile. Chelsea sweat dropped and thought, ' _I give up. There is no sneaking up on Hinata no matter what form I'm in_.' The red haired young woman landed in front of Akame's party and changed back into her human form. "How did the mission go?" she asked.

Akame gave a genuinely happy smile and said, "The mission was a complete success and Kurome-chan is fully healed. Please tell the boss that Kurome-chan and Wave have agreed to join us."

Chelsea could see the joy radiating from Akame and said, "I'm very happy for you Akame. I'll tell the boss immediately." The redhead waved at Kurome and Wave in welcome before she turned back into a hawk and took off for Night Raid's Hideout.

Najenda received the news from Chelsea within a few minutes and was truly surprised. "Kurome is completely healed and both she and Wave wish to join Night Raid?! That's unbelievable. I really underestimated our ninja friends. After the battle with Anasi I knew they had massive offensive power but restoring Kurome's health from that body augmentation drug program is incredible. How long till they arrive Chelsea?"

"I'd estimate about thirty minutes at most boss." said the redhead as she sucked on her lollipop. "Having two former Jaegers on our side could be a huge plus. Do you think we can trust them?"

Najenda nodded. "Esdeath and myself were originally from the Empire. Akame was the Empire's top assassin a one point. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Go ahead and round up Mein and Leone so we can give them the news as well. Knowing Akame she'll want to fix a feast and celebrate." ' _Akame and Kurome individually are incredibly dangerous but they might be damn near unstoppable as a team_.' thought Najenda. ' _I'll get Esdeath's input as well since she knows Kurome's skill set better_.'

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

"I can't believe that Akame-chan has turned to evil." said Tsukushi sounding depressed.

"She never did love Daddy like we did." said Pony. "Maybe she-"

Tsukushi shook her head. "Maybe Akame-chan is just misguided. I hope we can steer her back on the proper path. Her man purpose in life was to be with her little sister Kurome again."

"The Commandant said Kurome is dead." said Pony. "Do you think it made Akame-chan snap?"

Cornelia came in from her meeting with the Commandant and Lord Protector Honest. "How did it go Corey? It won't be long before the others fully wake up." said Tsukushi.

"They want us trained up quickly so we will have to work just as hard as we did for Father." answered Cornelia. "It's going to be difficult but we will succeed."

"That's our Corey!" cheered Pony. "Our responsible big sister is always right. I can't wait to start killing evildoers again!"

Cornelia sat down and quietly thought to herself. ' _What happened to you Akame? Why did you defect to the Revolutionary Army? ….And why do I feel compelled to serve the Commonwealth? Father taught us to be completely loyal to the Empire but now I feel they are the enemy. Did the Commandant do something to my mind to make me loyal? Something dark is going on. We have Taeko on our side now but there is absolutely no reason she would cooperate. She was totally dedicated to the Revolutionary Army. I think it's very unnatural we died and now are alive again but I can't seem to voice my opinions to the others. Something is very wrong with me….I feel compelled to kill you Akame but the truth is I just want to sit down and talk to you to see what happened. It's like everything I knew about the world has changed while I was….dead_ ….'

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

Najenda and the others welcomed everyone to the Hideout. Introductions were made and Akame whipped up a celebratory feast as Najenda had predicted. The one eyed general was shocked that Kurome ate as much as Akame though she preferred sweets instead of meat. ' _Here all this time I've thought that Akame's stomach capacity was some sort of genetic mutation unique to her but it seems Kurome has it too. I may have to increase our food budget_ ….' thought Najenda dourly. Everyone was in a festive mood and Najenda hadn't seen this kind of happiness in their hidden base in a long time. She noticed Akame was dividing her time between Kurome and Naruto. ' _Well, there isn't a doubt in my mind now. Akame definitely has a crush on Naruto like Leone said_ ….'

Esdeath soon was talking to Najenda about the Civil War in the Capitol. "So what is the Revolutionary Army intending to do?" asked Esdeath. "The most logical thing would be to let the Commonwealth and the Empire destroy each other and then conquer whichever weakened side is left standing."

Najenda nodded. "It's either that or join forces with one side or the other. Now that the Empire is free of Honest it seems that Emperor Makoto is making some sweeping reforms. High Command is kind of baffled by that."

"As long as Honest and his little Commonwealth are crushed into extinction a large part of me doesn't care." said Esdeath in a dark tone. "Still, trying to salvage the Empire at this point seems very unlikely."

"I understand." agreed Najenda. "I think that's why the Revolutionary Army is taking a wait and see approach. What do you intend to do after the war?"

"I will be with Naruto-kun as one of his wives and we will build the strongest clan ever." said Esdeath in total confidence. "My clan, the Partas clan will be reborn through the Uzumaki Clan."

Najenda smiled. "I can't imagine you as a Mother and a housewife instead of a General Esdeath."

"I never thought of having a family or children until I met Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan." said the light blue haired woman. "I'd love for our clan to grow up on the frontier and hunt danger beasts together. I'm really not sure. I may end up moving back to the Elemental Continent after the war to raise my clan there. I really don't know."

"What about Akame?" asked Najenda. "She seems rather attached to Naruto."

Esdeath said mysteriously, "Akame _is_ strong….and she _has_ earned my respect as a warrior….'

POSTSCRIPT:

**This is the same man that controlled Kurome's Squad when she was going through her training. For now I'm giving him the title of 'Commandant' rather than naming him. If his actual name and/or rank are revealed I'll come back and edit this.

***Also known as the Crushing King depending on the translation. Pulverization King just sounds better to me and I read it that way first so that's what I'm going with.

Well, a lot going on this chapter. That monocle wearing creep was simply too good at being evil to let die off easily. (Kurome might wish to some words with him for experimenting on her). Other than the lack of a maniacal laugh he's got the whole evil Nazi scientist madman image down pat. All he need is an SS uniform. It seems to me that the Commandant and Honest would make good friends given they have a mutual total lack of respect for human life (or any form of life). Honest is on a downslide because of his injuries but he has a new team of assassins at his beck and call.

I hope that little twist with the Elite Seven wasn't too predictable and people like their inclusion. That was a plot point that had me stuck for a while. Just as an FYI I'm not pulling a Kishimoto and recycling everybody that Akame ever fought like Edo Tensai. The Elite Seven were interesting and somewhat likeable characters so don't expect them to just be throwaway enemies. See you next time. Blue out. 3/27/16


	16. Chapter 16

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

My special thanks goes out to **Apedreitor** for inspiring major parts of this chapter. This chapter is setting up to kick off a new arc and we're going to see a bit more of the Elite Seven. Here is chapter 16 of _**Trapped Under Ice**_ _._ Enjoy!

Last time:

 _"_ _So what is the Revolutionary Army intending to do?" asked Esdeath. "The most logical thing would be to let the Commonwealth and the Empire destroy each other and then conquer whichever weakened side is left standing."_

 _Najenda nodded. "It's either that or join forces with one side or the other. Now that the Empire is free of Honest it seems that Emperor Makoto is making some sweeping reforms. High Command is kind of baffled by that."_

 _"_ _As long as Honest and his little Commonwealth are crushed into extinction a large part of me doesn't care." said Esdeath in a dark tone. "Still, trying to salvage the Empire at this point seems very unlikely."_

 _"_ _I understand." agreed Najenda. "I think that's why the Revolutionary Army is taking a wait and see approach. What do you intend to do after the war?"_

 _"_ _I will be with Naruto-kun as one of his wives and we will build the strongest clan ever." said Esdeath in total confidence. "My clan, the Partas clan will be reborn through the Uzumaki Clan."_

 _Najenda smiled. "I can't imagine you as a Mother and a housewife instead of a General Esdeath."_

 _"_ _I never thought of having a family or children until I met Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan." said the light blue haired woman. "I'd love for our clan to grow up on the frontier and hunt danger beasts together. I'm really not sure. I may end up moving back to the Elemental Continent after the war to raise my clan there. I really don't know."_

 _"_ _What about Akame?" asked Najenda. "She seems rather attached to Naruto."_

 _Esdeath said mysteriously, "Akame_ _is_ _strong….She_ _has_ _earned my respect as a warrior…._

Chapter 16

 **Elemental Continent**

Peace reigned throughout the Elemental Nations as the largest nations were all basically allied now. However, there were always some groups dissatisfied with peace. One such group was the Tamashi Clan that occupied the areas between Demon Country and Marsh Country on the Elemental Continent. The Tamashi Clan were said to wield dark spiritual powers and could curse their victims for the right price. The actual truth was they were masters of mind jutsus and often caused targets to kill themselves or others through mental manipulation. Some claimed they had a common ancestor with the Yamanaka Clan from Konoha but it had never been proven….not to mention they were completely outclassed by the Yamanakas. Nevertheless, the Tamashi were once were quite successful in Demon Country but their well deserved reputation of being vile eventually got them driven out.

Several years ago when Kazahana Dotō had dealings going on with (then) Prime Minister Honest the Tamashi Clan was one of many clans offered a job on the Imperial Continent by Honest. They turned it down as they had plenty of work to do at home. Things had changed since then. With the end of the Fourth Shinobi War the Tamashi found themselves in an odd position. Tamashi mind jutsus relied on the user's will and mental defenses to be stronger than that of their targets. The extreme mental fortitude displayed by veterans of the Fourth Shinobi War was astounding and the Tamashi's found that their jutsus had become almost obsolete against foreign ninjas. The jutsus were still effective on civilians but the lion's share of the Tamashi Clan's targets were now well out of their reach.

It had taken some negotiating but when Prime Minister Honest re-offered them a job as his special assassins for him the Tamashi Clan agreed to join him for an exorbitant fee. Honest was elated with their performance and set them out against his enemies at the time….the High Command of the Revolutionary Army….Night Raid wasn't aware of this but Najenda had been targeted as well. Honest briefly considered recalling the Tamashi Clan when he broke away to form the Commonwealth but weakening the Revolutionary Army would allow him to manipulate them into helping him against the Empire. Soon news was traveling fast that several higher officials in the Revolutionary Army were being assassinated _by each other_. Things were in chaos and Honest couldn't have been more delighted….

 **Imperial Continent, Night Raid's Hideout**

It had been two weeks since Kurome and Wave joined Night Raid and everyone had been busy training since (unusually) no new missions were sent out from Headquarters. They carried out regular reconnaissance missions but that was all. Though Chelsea and particularly Mein had been rather wary on Kurome at first they soon warmed up to her and Wave since it was very obvious that Kurome and Wave had their hearts in the matter. It also helped that Kurome had the full support of Akame and it was obvious to everyone how happy Akame and Kurome were to be together again.

Najenda was reading over the troubling news from command. ' _What the hell is going on? Several founding members of the Revolutionary Army are dead and actually turned against one another. Why has this suddenly happened? At this rate the Revolutionary Army will be paralyzed_.' "Our troubles never end. If it isn't one thing it's a dozen others." thought the one eyed general aloud. _'It probably wouldn't be the best idea to inform everyone of this just yet. I can't have morale going to hell when all my news is second hand. I'll have to wait until something more concrete comes in_.'

 ** _Nearby_** ….

Tamashi Kaede and her twin brother Tamashi Daisuke were near Night Raid's Hideout at the orders of their Clan Head Tamashi Toru-sama. They were observing the hideout quietly with binoculars. It had been generally been agreed that Night Raid was a cut above normal troops so some of the more powerful members in the Tamashi clan should be sent for this task; hence Kaede and Daisuke were there. "We'll infiltrate tonight little brother." said Kaede. "Our targets are General Najenda and General Esdeath. From what information we have the best assassin to kill them would be the one named Akame but she _may_ have too strong of a will to manipulate. We'll have to figure that out once we're in."

"Do we know anything about this Akame other than she was once the Empire's top assassin?" asked Daisuke.

Kaede nodded. "We know she underwent some horrific training to get where she is and that she uses a cursed sword named Murasame. It is supposed to be able to kill with the slightest cut because it has an incurable poison on it. She has a reputation of having extreme fortitude and endurance. We can't afford to underestimate her."

"Yes I can see that." agreed Daisuke. "But my question is whether or not she's been trained to mentally defend herself. She may be hard and strong as steel but without mental training we can bypass all that strength."

"Well, we know she can wield a Teigu." said Kaede looking thoughtful. "Our Clan has yet to deal with anyone who can do that little brother. Supposedly that takes a great deal of both physical and mental fortitude. We must be cautious. Hope for the best but plan for the worst." Seeing her brother nod in agreement Kaede added, "Supposedly everyone in Night Raid wields a Teigu. If it gets too hot we'll pull out." Picking up her binoculars again Kaede said, "We've done everything we can from out here. We'll move in after dark since we've already located all of their traps. This infiltration will be child's play for a ninja."

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

The Commandant was inspecting the 'new' Elite Seven. "Now that you are all awake and moving around I'm quite pleased that you are all so _devoted_ to the Commonwealth's noble cause. As I understand it your general organization centered around Najasho and Cornelia. Since that worked quite well for Gozuki we will continue with that command structure. Also, young Taeko will fill in admirably for the traitorous Akame. The Commonwealth spent a great deal of time and effort to bring you back from your eternal rest and to recover and repair your lost Shingus. I expect you all to loyally serve the Commonwealth without fail and help us destroy both the Revolutionary Army and the corrupt Empire as well. Najasho, as you are the Captain of this team I expect you to get everyone back up to full fighting strength as soon as possible."

"I understand sir, I will do as you command." said Najasho. "I will lead us to victory." he added. The Blonde haired, gold eyed young man thought to himself, ' _This is very troubling. Everyone in this room was dead except the Commandant and I remember Father never spoke of him very highly. What happened to Father and why am I obeying this freak? We were raised to be loyal to the Empire alone and now we're serving the Commonwealth without question. That girl Taeko is a formidable assassin and ally but why do I accept her without suspicion? She killed Cornelia and Akame killed her. I have to figure out a way to break free of this Commandant's hold_."

Pony raised her hand and, "Commandant sir; where is Daddy and why did Akame turn traitor?" The auburn haired girl's lime green eyes were full of confusion. "How can we get Akame back in our squad?"

The Commandant said condescendingly, "What happened to Gozuki is irrelevant. Your duty is to follow my orders, not ask questions. As for Akame she has become the embodiment of evil. She is one of the most dangerous enemies out there. Show her no mercy."

Pony was a bit stunned but answered, "Yes sir Commandant, sir." in a crestfallen tone.

Tsukushi was feeling depressed inside knowing her best friend Akame-chan was her enemy now. ' _Why am I not asking questions? Surely Akame-chan had her reasons. Was it because of her sister?_ ' Raising her hand the light brown haired girl asked. "How did Akame's sister Kurome die? It could help us stop Akame if we knew." ' _It might lead us to the truth_.'

"Kurome was one of our finest." said the Commandant. "She died loyally serving our cause to the end."

Taeko wanted to glare at the bald, monocle wearing Commandant hatefully but found she couldn't. The lime green eyed, dark haired girl was utterly confounded as to why she couldn't raise her sword against him. Mentally every fiber of her being wanted to cut him down where he stood but she felt compelled to follow his every command. ' _This man did something to my mind while I was dead. I killed Cornelia because she was my enemy even though we had become friends. Now I feel comfortable around people that should all be my enemies._ _ **Why**_ _can't I revolt against this freak?!_ '

The green eyed, black haired assassin Green adjusted his glasses. ' _I just feel sick inside. I want Akame to be my girlfriend, not to kill her. I remember Father said this Commandant was using strange procedures to improve his assassins artificially. Is that why I'm alive? Father said his own methods would work to make us much stronger than any of the Commandant's 'experiments.' Is that what I am now? An experiment of this man? Everyone here has eyes full of grief. I know I died but I can't remember how or why. It's like a void is in my mind._ '

Guy ran a hand through his brown hair. ' _That Taeko girl_ _ **killed**_ _Cornelia who I'd do anything for! I want_ _ **revenge**_ _but something is stopping me. What is wrong with me?!_ ' He looked over into Taeko's eyes and saw the same emotions he was feeling himself. Anger, confusion and sadness swam in her lime green eyes. ' _Maybe she's as trapped as I am_ ….' thought Guy in puzzlement. ' _At least Cornelia's alive. Now that we have a second chance; maybe she'll go out with me_.' Guy thought hopefully.

Cornelia said, "Commandant; is there a place we can go to build up our strength? We grew up in the wilderness hunting danger beasts. The training facilities here won't give us that kind of training." Behind her blue eyes she was thinking, ' _Maybe we could escape this prison_.'

If the Commandant had any idea of Cornelia's mutinous thoughts he didn't show it. "Is that how Gozuki trained you? Living out on the frontier like feral children?" Seeing Cornelia nod the bald man said, "Hmmm….That's quite a concept. At any rate you will be staying here under my direct supervision until further notice. The procedures used to revive all of you were quite expensive and we need to make sure they are successful. The training facilities we have here in the Capitol will have to suffice."

Najasho looked over at Cornelia and they made a silent agreement. ' _We will get out of this somehow_ ….'

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

Esdeath was talking to Hinata. "Hinata-chan, what do you think of Akame?"

"Akame-chan is a good friend of mine Esdeath-chan; why do you ask?" replied Hinata puzzled.

The light blue haired beauty's eyes glinted. "It's been pointed out that to me that she seems to have a growing attraction to our Naruto-kun. Akame _is_ a strong and capable warrior. Do you think we should let her join our clan?"

Hinata blinked. "Are asking if we should share Naruto-kun with Akame-chan?"

"Yes. With our strength and hers combined with Naruto-kun's our clan could be even stronger." said Esdeath. "That kind of strength will keep our clan at the top of the food chain once we start having children; wouldn't you agree?"

The byakugan princess pondered for a few minutes. "We fought each other tooth and nail before we decided to share Naruto-kun; do you really think this would work Esdeath-chan?"

Esdeath smiled. "When we met I thought you were a weak and pampered princess but you proved me wrong and I am glad that we are both with Naruto-kun now. We already know Akame is strong and she is close to you. What do you think?"

"Let's see what Akame-chan wants to do before we jump to conclusions Esdeath-chan." said Hinata. "We'll need to talk to Naruto-kun as well. I know he is fond of Akame-chan but I don't know if he has any romantic interests in her. Naruto-kun is very loyal to us; I can't see him ever straying."

Esdeath smiled. "That is one of the many reasons I love our Naruto-kun so much."

Hinata just nodded in agreement. ' _I just wonder how Akame-chan will feel about all this_.'

….

Akame was practicing with Kurome and after a rather fearsome sparring session they were both very pleased to find Kurome was stronger than she had ever been without all of the drugs in her system. After wiping the sweat off the siblings sat down to take a break together and were drinking water from their canteens. "That was amazing Akame nee-chan!" said Kurome excitedly. "This was a great workout. I feel so much stronger than I did."

"Naruto-kun restored your body to what it _should_ be Kurome-chan." said Akame. "You don't know how happy that makes me." Akame smiled and blushed slightly.

Kurome's dark eyes glittered. "Akame nee-chan….Could it be that you _like_ Naruto?"

Akame's blush turned scarlet. "W-well I- You see…."

The younger sister giggled. "It looks like someone is in _love_ Akame-nee." said Kurome in a sing-song voice.

Akame said, "Don't tease me Kurome-chan. Besides, he already has _two_ girlfriends. I don't even know how that works."

"Maybe you should ask your friend Hinata, nee-chan." said Kurome. "You seem close to her."

"Hinata-chan was the one that convinced me you could be healed." said Akame. "I was sinking into despair and she helped me. I owe her more than I can repay."

Kurome smiled and hugged her sister. "I have my Wave. You deserve to have someone too. Maybe you should talk to Hinata then."

"Perhaps I will…." replied Akame.

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Lord Protector Honest was talking to the Commandant. He was propped up in his wheelchair but was very keen to hear about his new squad of assassins. "So are the Elite Seven living up to your expectations Commandant? I'm eager to see them in action." asked the bloated Dictator.

The bald, monocle wearing man looked troubled. "They are training hard and doing well but it seems the methods used to make them loyal to the Commonwealth haven't been as effective as I had hoped. The loyalty Gozuki instilled in them was unflinching when they served the Empire but they keep questioning things particularly regarding the traitorous assassin Akame and her sister Kurome. I can't help but feel their loyalty might waver if they faced her."

Honest chuckled. "Commandant; Gozuki raised them as his own children and possessed a charisma that inspired them. You raised the rest of the assassins to be mindless soldiers that fought and followed orders without question. It will be more difficult to control the Elites because they don't have faith in you like they did in Gozuki. You are going to have to manipulate them into accepting your leadership. Soldiers that think for themselves are far more effective but they also are far harder to control."

The Commandant growled. "My methods were just as effective as Gozuki's! At least none of my assassins turned traitor like that Akame girl."

"But Akame of Night Raid was also undisputedly the most deadly assassin in the Empire at least in my lifetime." said Honest. "I do wonder what made her snap though."

"Perhaps I can use their interest in the traitor to my advantage…." said the Commandant. "Though I have no intention of doing so I believe the Elites would be far more motivated if they thought I wanted them to 'rescue' Akame from the path she's on. Gozuki had them on a crusade to stop evildoers but if I steer them on a path to 'save' Akame of the Demon Sword Murasame then perhaps they would see me as the leader I'm meant to be seen as…."

"I'm sure it's a small obstacle for a man of your caliber Commandant." said Honest as a huge cart of food was rolled in for dinner.

The Commandant was baffled at the sheer amount of food that the former Prime Minister could eat (not to mention Honest ate like a pig). "By your leave Lord Protector Honest." said the Commandant. "It seems I have much to do." '…. _And I really don't want to watch you inhale all that fattening food. It's a wonder you haven't ruptured._ '

Honest said between mouthfuls, "Very good Commandant; keep me posted on your progress. You are dismissed." ' _He's practically skin and bones. I wonder if the Commandant is anorexic_ ….'

….

Cornelia had tears in her eyes as she sat beside Taeko. "The words you said…. ** _Next time we meet….I hope we are on the same side_**." The blue eyed blonde turned to her dark haired companion. "Those were your last words to me before I died Taeko. Did you mean them?"

Taeko also was teary eyed. "Yes I did. I was so happy to have a friend and it was a cruel fate that we had to fight each other."

"What happened after that?" asked Cornelia.

"I lured Akame to where your body was and tried to cut her down." said Taeko sadly. "She was faster and stronger than you….in the end she killed me and the scales were balanced. I'm so sorry for what happened…."

Cornelia wiped some moisture from her eyes. "I….I think something unnatural is going on but….can we be friends now? We somehow _are_ on the same side now."

Taeko smiled sadly. "I'd like that Cornelia. Let's start over from the beginning." Both girls smiled at each other. "What of Akame?" asked Taeko.

"I _feel_ that I should say she is our enemy and we are completely loyal to the Commonwealth." said Cornelia. "Something is wrong about that though."

"I know exactly what you mean Cornelia." said the dark haired girl. "Something _is_ wrong. We'll have to work through this together."

Cornelia nodded. "We can't say what we mean _directly_ but I think we can still communicate nonetheless. I want to talk to Najasho about this. He was _always_ our best thinker."

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

As night settled in the members of Night Raid were relaxing after a big dinner. Morale was generally high though Najenda seemed to be a bit preoccupied to the others. They weren't aware the Tamashi Clan Ninjas were waiting in the shadows to make a move. Once the lights were out signaling everyone went to bed for the night Tamashi Kaede slipped into the Hideout on the top floor while her brother Daisuke slipped into to lowest one. As they didn't know precisely where their targets were they were forced to explore separately.

Kaede soon found herself up in the areas where everyone slept. Some bedroom lights were still on but Kaede didn't hear anyone making any noise. ' _Good, sounds like they've all settled in for the night_.' thought Kaede. A door opened revealing a busty blonde woman who yawned and rubbed her eyes. Kaede leapt up and clung to the ceiling with chakra to conceal herself. ' _That's the one called Leone. We don't know enough about her to know if she would be useful or not. Best to leave well enough alone. I'll stick with the targets Akame, Esdeath and Najenda_.'

Leone's gold eyes flashed in the darkness. "I'd swear I'm being watched." she muttered to herself. Kaede held her position and focused her heartbeat and breathing. Leone yawned again and said "Bathroom…." before she went back down the hall.

' _Even tired they seem very alert of their surroundings_.' thought Kaede. ' _We need to be cautious. I hope Daisuke isn't in trouble. He isn't as careful as I am_.'

 **With Daisuke** ….

Daisuke was watching two black haired girls in the (very well lit) kitchen inhaling their own weight in food as a late night snack. ' _They both fit the description of our target Akame. Both have black hair and carry a katana….even in a nightgown. I need to see their faces clearly but I'd be revealed if I get closer. I'll just have to wait a bit longer_ ….'

 **In the Kitchen** ….

Akame was eating a large portion of leftover roast while Kurome was scarfing down some leftover sweets. "I tell you Akame nee-chan; I never dreamed we'd be together again this lifetime." said Kurume between bites. "This cake is great!"

"I know what you mean Kurome-chan." said Akame. "This is like a dream come true after a long, horrible nightmare. It's also great because now we both have someone to grab a snack with. How does Wave like it here?"

Kurome swallowed another mouthful of cake. "He's actually really happy. Things were so bad in the Empire and when the Commonwealth appeared….It was best to leave."

Daisuke was listening carefully. ' _The slightly taller one with the long straight hair is the target Akame. But we received no information on her having a sister here with her. As much as they look alike it would make sense that they are related_.' He focused harder to listen to the girl's conversation.

Akame and Kurome both snatched their blades of the table in an instant. Daisuke saw Akame's red eyes searching in the shaded area he was in. "Kurome-chan…." said Akame quietly. "I sense killing intent. We're not alone." Daisuke pulled a body switch with a chair and Kurome's blade sliced it completely in half.

' _Shit that was close!_ ' thought Daisuke. The Tamashi ninja watched as both sisters probed the darkness. Akame's red eyes slowly swept the room and Kurome's black ones shifted about rapidly. The older sister charged directly at Daisuke and he threw a spread of shuriken at her that Akame had to deflect with the Murasame.

"Ninja!" Akame hissed. "They use shurikens like this!"

Deciding that withdrawing would be in his best interest, Daisuke body flickered out in a puff of smoke. When Kurome flipped on the light switch there was no sign of Daisuke save some destroyed furniture….

 **With Kaede** ….

Esdeath left her room to get some wine for herself, Naruto and Hinata. She threw on a button up shirt and some panties before she headed towards the kitchen….and right into Kaede's sights. "Seeing eye jutsu!" whispered Kaede to break though Esdeath's mental defenses and stun her so Kaede could insert a hypnotic command. Esdeath stopped in her tracks and Kaede felt the bloodthirsty hunger of a tremendous beast enter her mind. Kaede was shaking in fear as Esdeath slowly turned to face her direction with a truly vicious smile across her beautiful face.

Truthfully Esdeath couldn't see anyone but she could sense a presence was definitely there. The subliminal message to kill Najenda that Kaede was trying to place in Esdeath's mind was completely obliterated by the light blue haired woman's mental defenses. "If you think you can put thoughts in the mind of one such as I you a gravely mistaken. _I am the master of the Demon's Extract_. Your mind games stand no chance against me." Esdeath flooded the hallway with killing intent and said, "Why don't you stop hiding and show yourself?"

Kaede shot away as quickly as she could in fear. About that time Naruto and Hinata raced out into the hall sensing Esdeath's killing intent. Hinata activated her byakugan and said, "One female. She's a kunoichi. She just body flickered up to the roof and is retreating rapidly."

"Any chance of catching her Hinata?" said Sakura as she came out in the hall. Esdeath's killing intent woke the whole place and everyone up and armed now.

Hinata said, "Let me look outside." Getting a better vantage point outside Hinata scanned the area. "Two chunin level ninjas; one male and one female. They are fleeing at top ninja speeds. Pursuing them would be fruitless at this point. It's seems that we aren't the only ninjas on this continent after all." Deactivating her byakugan Hinata added, "It seems the situation has changed for us once again."

Akame arrived and said, "We stopped an intruder down by the kitchen. I'm sure it was a ninja."

"It was." said Najenda as she lit up a cigarette in the low light. "A kunoichi was up here and got spooked by Esdeath. Hinata just confirmed two ninjas retreating. They're already gone. We may have to relocate. Let's all head back inside."

….

Everyone in Night Raid was gathered in the main room and Akame and Kurome described what happened to them and handed one of the shurikens to Najenda. Esdeath described what had happened to her. "You mean to say that the kunoichi tried to place the order into your psyche to kill me?" asked Najenda.

Esdeath nodded. "Whoever she was specifically tried to command me to kill you. Imagine the idea of _anyone_ commanding _me_." growled the light blue haired woman. Naruto gave Esdeath a small hug to calm her down and she smiled softly at him.

"Sounds like a Yamanaka mind technique was being used for malevolent purposes." said Hinata.

Naruto was looking over the shuriken that Najenda had given him. "Does this look familiar to you Sakura-chan?" he asked as he handed it to Sakura who also examined it.

"This looks like some of the shurikens we bought down in Demon Country." said Sakura. Testing the weight of it she said, "It one of those special ones that's weighted so it will follow a circular arc."

"That's what I thought too." said Naruto. "I remember Priestess Shion told us there were some local ninjas that cursed people's minds around that area. I need to get my bingo book."

Twenty minutes later Naruto was sitting with his bingo book with Hinata and Sakura on either side of him reading along. Sakura pointed to a picture. "Tamashi Futaba….Seeng eye jutsu. Able to stun an opponent in order to read their minds or place a subliminal order into the mind of the target. Standard Tamashi Clan jutsu." She sighed. "Looks like a watered down form of the Yamanaka mind switch or mind walk. It fits the puzzle of trying to give Esdeath a subliminal suggestion and it failing against her mental defenses."

"It's a shame we don't know more about this Tamashi Clan and their abilities." said Hinata. "I've never been down to Demon Country so I hadn't even heard of the Tamashi Clan until today. There is really no way to contact Konoha for intelligence reports."

Najenda asked the three Konoha ninjas, "So in brief this Tamashi Clan specializes in manipulating the minds of others?" Seeing the three ninjas nod at her Najenda said, "There have been a lot of higher ups in the Revolutionary Army that have suddenly killed their longtime comrades, could this Tamashi technique cause that?"

Sakura answered, "The Tamashi jutsu we saw in the bingo book could easily plant something like a post hypnotic suggestion in the mind of the target. From what Esdeath experienced I'd say that Seeing eye jutsu was attempted and failed. On the other hand; if the target wasn't fortified mentally they probably wouldn't even know anything happened until they started attacking the target that they were programmed to."

Najenda blew a puff of smoke and said, " ** _Well shit_** ….That would explain a lot. I need to contact high command."

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Territory, Tamashi Base**

Kaede and Daisuke fled back to the Capitol at high speed to report to their clan Head Tamashi Toru. They arrived at his quarters at dawn. "What is your report concerning Night Raid and the three targets?" asked Toru.

Kneeling Kaede said, "Toru-sama, we are sorry but we were discovered at Night Raid's base and had to withdraw. My jutsu's appeared to have been deflected by the target Esdeath and she sensed my presence immediately. Her mental defenses are nearly impervious from what I sensed."

Daisuke added, "The target Akame and her sister Kurome both detected me before I could attempt a jutsu. Akame is also aware that ninjas exist because she identified me as one by my shuriken I threw at her to cover my escape. Night Raid is far more informed and better prepared than any other targets have been on the Imperial Continent. My guess is they interacted with other Elemental Continent ninjas before for some reason. I cannot think of any other reason we would have been detected so easily."

Toru sighed. Ordinarily he would have given a brutal tongue lashing for botching a mission so badly but the twins were among his best ninjas. "It seems that Night Raid's fearsome reputation is well deserved then. Go clean yourselves up and get some breakfast. I'll expect full and detailed reports by noon."

"Yes Toru-sama!" said the twins in unison.

Toru looked over his mission schedules. ' _Sadly, we've completely lost the element of surprise against Night Raid now. Daisuke was probably leaking killing intent again. Kaede though….from what people have said about Esdeath I suppose it's not inconceivable that she is resistant to our jutsus. I will have to get more information on her_.' He set his pen on the table. ' _Serving Honest has brought us a lot of money but I can't see it continuing since he broke away from the Empire. This whole situation with the Commonwealth is a complete and utter mess. We might be better off selling our services to the Emperor_.'

 **Night Raid's Hideout**

Najenda and Esdeath were discussing things inside Najenda's office. "The best way to _fight_ ninjas is _with_ ninjas Najenda." said Esdeath emphatically. "You remember what that old geezer of a professor taught us in history. Just arrange it for the Revolutionary Army to pay Naruto-kun's Team to eliminate the Tamashi Ninjas. I've witnessed what Sakura and Naruto-kun can do against ninja opponents and Hinata-chan is at that same level. Let's hunt the Tamashis down before they can do any more damage to the Revolutionary Army's command structure."

Najenda looked at her reports once again and said, "Command has all but forgotten about Night Raid because my immediate superiors were killed. If we play our cards right Night Raid could work in concert with the ninjas to stop the Tamashi group. As a field commander I _am_ authorized to hire mercenaries….and we've never been a normal group anyway."

Esdeath smiled wickedly. "If these Tamashi techniques work against people with weak minds then an all Teigu group should be very effective against them, yes?"

"Yes, it takes a great deal of mental strength to use a Teigu." agreed the eye patch wearing General. "I think it's time this group went back to work. Two weeks of no orders has had everyone a little stir crazy anyway. Also it will give us a temporary relocation since our hideout was discovered anyway." Najenda sat back in a more relaxed posture and lit up a cigarette. After taking a good drag on her cancer stick she said, "Remember back at Officer's School how we made such a great team Esdeath? When we collaborated in mock battles we were damn near invincible."

"We still make a damn good team." agreed Esdeath.

Najenda nodded. There was a flame ignited in her purple eye. "The Tamashi and whoever is behind them will never know what hit them."

POSTSCRIPT:

Okay, so begins the new Ninja Hunters Arc. A lot is going on here and Honest has drawn the Revolutionary Army into the disarray and chaos that already has boiled over in the Empire/Commonwealth Civil War through the Tamashi Clan. The Elite Seven are closer to becoming active and are slowly bonding with each other. Most of them have noticed something is definitely wrong with their thought processes and the Commandant is out of sorts because they aren't the mindless little worker drones he wanted. What is going to become of that? Also, the Tamashi attack on Night Raid's Hideout was repulsed but that seems to have pushed Najenda and Esdeath's heads together and now the two generals are planning a counterstrike. Now for the important question; will Night Raid or cholesterol kill Lord Protector Honest first? See you next time. Blue out. 4/21/16


	17. Chapter 17

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

Man, real life has kept from getting _any_ story updates done lately! It's been a while. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on track soon. Welcome to the first chapter of the _Ninja Hunters Arc_ _._ Without further ado, here is chapter 17. Enjoy!

Last time:

 ** _Night Raid's Hideout_**

 _Najenda and Esdeath were discussing things inside Najenda's office. "The best way to_ _fight_ _ninjas is_ _with_ _ninjas Najenda." said Esdeath emphatically. "You remember what that old geezer of a professor taught us in history. Just arrange it for the Revolutionary Army to pay Naruto-kun's Team to eliminate the Tamashi Ninjas. I've witnessed what Sakura and Naruto-kun can do against ninja opponents and Hinata-chan is at that same level. Let's hunt the Tamashis down before they can do any more damage to the Revolutionary Army's command structure."_

 _Najenda looked at her reports once again and said, "Command has all but forgotten about Night Raid because my immediate superiors were killed. If we play our cards right Night Raid could work in concert with the ninjas to stop the Tamashi group. As a field commander I_ _am_ _authorized to hire mercenaries….and we've never been a normal group anyway."_

 _Esdeath smiled wickedly. "If these Tamashi techniques work against people with weak minds then an all Teigu group should be very effective against them, yes?"_

 _"_ _Yes, it takes a great deal of mental strength to use a Teigu." agreed the eye patch wearing General. "I think it's time this group went back to work. Two weeks of no orders has had everyone a little stir crazy anyway. Also it will give us a temporary relocation since our hideout was discovered anyway." Najenda sat back in a more relaxed posture and lit up a cigarette. After taking a good drag on her cancer stick she said, "Remember back at Officer's School how we made such a great team Esdeath? When we collaborated in mock battles we were damn near invincible."_

 _"_ _We still make a damn good team." agreed Esdeath._

 _Najenda nodded. There was a flame ignited in her purple eye. "The Tamashi and whoever is behind them will never know what hit them."_

Chapter 17

 **Imperial Continent, Revolutionary Army Headquarters**

It had been three days since Night Raid's Hideout was assaulted by the Tamashi ninjas….General Najenda managed to procure a pair of air manta's for travel and they were now flying above the Revolutionary Army's Headquarters. The eye patch wearing general said to the others riding with her, "That's Kakachichi Lake where our headquarters is. The terrain here makes it a natural stronghold and it is as far south in the Empire as you can get without crossing over into Southern Tribe's Territory." Sakura, Mein, Leone and Chelsea looked down at the base below as Najenda brought them in for a landing.

On the other air manta; Esdeath was looking over the defenses of the Revolutionary Army base for ways they might be breached. "It appears to be a very superbly thought out place for a headquarters. I was never involved in plans to attack this place back when I was with the Empire. It would have been a considerable challenge to take this base." Naruto, Hinata, Akame, Kurome and Wave and couldn't help but agree. Other than Akame this was everyone's first time seeing the place. Seeing a hand signal from Najenda, Esdeath guided her danger beast down for a landing beside the one Najenda was riding and the two groups of passengers disembarked.

Once everyone gathered around Najenda said, "Alright everybody. Stick close and follow me. Esdeath please stay up front beside me."

 **The watchtower overlooking the base entrance**

Tamashi Hotaka was charged with watching the gates of the Revolutionary Army Headquarters for his clan and was to report the comings and goings of anyone significant –like VIP targets. He was surprised to see Night Raid's General Najenda walking in with General Esdeath. Rumors were flying fast and furious about Night Raid among the Tamashi Clan as the unsuccessful attack on them was only three days ago. When the Commonwealth scouts went to Night Raid's Hideout the next day the group of assassins had vanished into thin air. Now it seemed that their group retreated to here. Hotaka didn't have a full list of the members of Night Raid but he wrote down a quick description of each and recognized the assassin Akame from the pictures of her….

Hotaka's eyes widened as he stared through his binoculars. ' _That woman! She has the byakugan!_ ' Seeing her Konoha headband around her neck led Hotaka to a shocking conclusion. ' _A Hyūga kunoichi from Fire Country is here! We're supposed to be the only ninjas on this continent; what is a_ -' He saw Sakura's headband was also a Konoha forehead protector. ' _I have to report this in NOW!_ '

 ** _With Night Raid_** ….

"How are we intending to do this Boss?" asked Leone. "If we go through regular channels and report in we could lose the element of surprise on the Tamashi group."

Najenda shook her head. "We all need to check in. It can't be helped. In order to travel freely on the base we need to have everyone's identities confirmed." Everyone heard Akame's stomach roar and Kurome was visibly drooling at some nearby food stalls…. "There's also the fact that Akame and Kurome are hungry and none of us want to be on the menu." added Najenda with a sweat drop.

"Well, there's no doubt Tamashi Clan ninjas are here." said Hinata with her byakugan active. "There are three in my range and the closest one of them is observing us from that watch tower to the left of us with binoculars."

 ** _With Hotaka_** ….

The Tamashi ninja suddenly got a sinking feeling as the Hyūga kunoichi looked directly at him and pointed him out to the others. He saw a short pink haired girl with pigtails pull out an odd looking rifle and train her eye scope on him. The ninja dived for cover as the Teigu Dreyse cracked off a shot that hit exactly where he'd been a second ago. " ** _Shit;_** _I've got to get out of here!_ " he thought/yelled aloud. He quickly started to move only for another round from Dreyse to hit the wall beside him keeping him pinned down to the floor.

 ** _With Night Raid_** ….

"This is superb! Dreyse is even better than I imagined!" cackled Mein gleefully. The pink haired sniper was smiling wildly as she shot off another round and Najenda ran interference with security. The three Konoha ninjas already took off towards the watch tower in a blur.

Esdeath growled, "It's a shame we can't just blow the top off that tower. I hate sitting still when action is afoot."

….

Hotaka was hoofing it down the stairs of the tower as fast as he could. The Tamashi ninja would have run down the outside of the watchtower using chakra to escape faster but that would have made him an obvious target to _everyone_ on the base. He was about to race out the wooden doors on the ground floor when they were punched in by Haruno Sakura and the massive doors flattened the hapless Hotaka before he could get out of the way. Sakura's green eyes darted left and right before she said, "I don't see him anywhere Hinata. I thought you said he was close to the ground floor."

"….He's under the right hand door Sakura…." said Hinata lamely. "I think it's safe to say he's not going anywhere."

Sakura sweat dropped and said, "Oops….my bad." as she lifted the enormous door and revealed the flattened and semi conscious Tamashi Hotaka groaning underneath it.

The two guards that nominally were supposed to be protecting the watchtower doors came out of hiding in the bushes and one said in a frightened tone, "N-nobody moves! Please?" Sakura's display of strength nearly made them wet themselves.

Naruto came walking down the stairs from above (he ran up the side of the tower in case Hotaka tried to escape outside). Ignoring the shaking guards the orange loving ninja said, "Damn Sakura-chan; did he make you angry?"

Sakura blushed in embarrassment and said. "It was an _accident!_ "

Hinata nodded. "Sakura didn't mean to squash him Naruto-kun." Then she added humorously, "It was quite a first _impression_ Sakura made though."

Growling, Sakura tossed the demolished right door on top of the equally crushed left which frightened the guards further. "If you two are done making jokes help me check this guy over."

The two kunoichis were soon examining Hotaka and Naruto finally noticed the quivering guards and the crowd gathered outside. "Well hello there. Can I help you gentlemen?" asked Naruto in a friendly tone. "We kind of captured a spy here. General Najenda of Night Raid will vouch for us. I'm Uzumaki Naruto by the way."

Hotaka was semi conscious when Naruto introduced himself and was suddenly shocked awake. "U-Uzumaki Naruto as in the _Savior of the World_ and the _Slayer of Mōryō?!_ "

Naruto scratched his neck nervously. "Sometimes they call me that." Hotaka mouthed 'Oh my god' and his eyes rolled back in his head. After that he promptly fainted.

Sakura looked murderous at her teammate. "I _flatten_ him with a multi hundred pound door and he stays awake but when you _say your name_ the damn fool faints?!"

Stifling a giggle Hinata said, "Naruto-kun just has a reputation that precedes him Sakura. The Tamashi Clan ninja is beat up but he'll live. We'd best restrain him for when he comes around again."

"Right. Let's tie him up and slap some chakra restraints on him." said Sakura.

Najenda arrived moments later and saw the three Konoha ninjas had already tied up Hotaka and stripped him to his underwear in case he had seals hidden in his clothing. The guards with Najenda cleared a path for her and she sweat dropped. ' _Well, at least they didn't strip him buck naked…._ ' The eye patch wearing general asked, "Is this one from the same group that attacked our hideout?"

Hinata nodded and held up a shuriken. "This is the same type of shuriken and he has a Tamashi Clan emblem on the back of his gloves. Once he comes around again we'll need to question him."

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

The Commandant was looking over the report he'd requested from the Tamashi Clan regarding the unsuccessful infiltration of Night Raid's now abandoned hideout. The report was from one Tamashi Daisuke and the ninja gave a perfect description of someone that couldn't _possibly_ be alive - ** _Kurome_**. Worse still she was with _Akame_ and the two were apparently acting as if they were perfectly _normal_ sisters having a meal together. The Commandant was baffled. ' _Kurome's drugs were cut off over a month ago and there is no_ _ **possible**_ _way that she could survive without them. She surely would have died from withdrawal by now. Just as bad she wanted to kill Akame with her own two hands!_ _ **Why**_ _would Kurome have betrayed her principles in such a way? I can't believe that someone from_ _ **my**_ _assassination program would ever defect._ _ **How**_ _is this even possible?!_ '

The bald man looked carefully over the entire action report and thought, ' _There is no way that anyone but Kurome and Akame fit these descriptions in such detail. When our forces arrived at Night Raid's base the next morning there was no sign the group had ever even been there. I need to talk to Lord Protector Honest about this fiasco. He wanted to reclaim Kurome's Teigu Yatsufusa because she was dead….I never found out why the remaining Jaegers never joined the ranks of the Commonwealth or those of the Empire. They simply vanished and were presumed dead by the Commonwealth. If Kurome is now with Night Raid then it wouldn't be too farfetched to see the other remaining Jaeger Wave with them as well. This could be very bad news for our side. The Elite Seven_ _ **might**_ _be able to overwhelm_ _ **either**_ _Akame or Kurome alone but_ _ **together**_ _? My new assassins wouldn't stand a chance against both sisters_ ….'

The Commandant had no idea that the Commonwealth attacked Kurome and Wave to seize their Teigus and lost. All he'd been told was they were presumed dead. The monocle wearing man was about to find out just how bad the Commonwealth messed up on that little incident….

 **Revolutionary Army Headquarters, Tamashi hidden quarters**

In the Revolutionary Army Headquarters was an empty underground storage area that the Tamashi Ninja Clan had adapted for their use. Tamashi Suzu was wondering what was going on. Her husband Hotaka hadn't reported in and his shift was over two hours ago. Fearing something was amiss Suzu went to see her commanding officer, the Jonin level ninja Tamashi Taiki; clan head Toru-sama's younger son. Knocking on Taiki's door she heard him bade her to enter and she said without preamble, "Hotaka-kun has not returned Taiki-sama. I am worried for his safety. Has something happened?"

Taiki looked rather grave. "We aren't sure Suzu-san. There was gunfire and a lot of guards over by the watchtower where Hotaka was stationed but he never signaled that he was in any sort of trouble and our contacts haven't seen him either. There is some sort of investigation on the ground floor of the tower. I suspect that he is laying low until security there loosens up. I'll be sending someone to scout the situation after dark. It's too risky in the daylight."

"Let me go Taiki-sama." said Suzu. "I've been stationed with Hotaka-kun their before so I know the terrain well."

The jonin nodded slowly. "Suzu-san, I'll let you go but don't let your love for your husband interfere with your duty. If you find out he's been injured or captured then report back to me. Do not attempt to rescue him on your own."

Suzu bowed. "I understand Taiki-sama. I'll leave in about two hours then."

….

 **The watchtower**

After sunset Tamashi Suzu was out scouting for her husband under orders from Taiki-sama. She spotted Esdeath and Najenda of Night Raid with a pink haired woman….wearing a Konoha headband! ' _That's a Konoha kunoichi; what is she doing here on the Imperial Continent? This changes things dramatically. Hotaka-kun could be in real trouble_ ….' Carefully suppressing her chakra Suzu crept closer trying to overhear the conversation between the three women.

"We certainly had a stroke of luck having you Konoha ninjas with us Sakura." said Najenda. "The Tamashi Ninjas causing the problems can be captured or wiped out with your help."

Sakura nodded. "The one we captured earlier today should be alright for questioning by tomorrow. The Tamashi ninja seemed really shocked to see us."

' _Hotaka-kun has been captured!_ ' thought Suzu in fear. ' _I have to report back to Taiki-sama so we can rescue him. Please be safe my husband_ ….'

Without wasting any further time Suzu withdrew so she could talk to Taiki.

….

 **Tamashi quarters**

Tamashi Suzu reported the situation with her husband and the Konoha ninja presence to Taiki. "Taiki-sama, what should we do? We don't know how many Konoha ninjas there are and they already are aware of our presence here. This could be very bad and Hotaka-kun is in their custody. We need to rescue him."

"They must have spotted Hotaka on their arrival here so I assume one of the ninjas is a sensor. We'll have to lay low and gather information discreetly." said Taiki. "It's a small comfort but at least we know he's alive. I'm going to start feeling out the situation and try to find out where Hotaka is. Rest assured Suzu; we'll find your husband and do everything in our power to free him. I'm going to send a letter out to my Father Toru-sama at the Imperial Capitol. We may need to get reinforcements depending on the situation." He got out a piece of parchment but then set it aside. "Suzu; help me round everyone up. There are twenty six of us here and I want everyone to know exactly what's going on."

Suffice it to say the Tamashi Clan members didn't sleep well that night. They'd basically had free reign as predators up till the present. Now one of their own was captured and they were in the position of being the prey….

….

 **Night Raid's temporary quarters**

Night Raid was provided with their own five-star luxurious _barracks_ to sleep in….

"I miss our hideout already." complained Leone. "Where is the hot springs when you need it?"

"Look at the bright side." said Chelsea. "At least we're relatively safe from attack here."

Mein growled, "I wish we all had our own rooms instead of these crummy triple high bunk beds in these barracks."

Akame said, "They wouldn't even let Kurome-chan and I sample the food…." _No one really replied to that comment_ ….

Wave pondered aloud, "This reminds me of sea duty in the Navy."

Kurome just sighed. ' _I guess Wave and I are sleeping separately….Rats_.'

Naruto, Esdeath and Hinata were staring at the three high, extremely narrow bunks in front of them.

Hinata was growling mentally, ' _There's not enough room even for two in these little bunks, damn it! I want my Naruto-kun time_. (sigh) _I guess this is an army base though. Even if there was room in the beds it isn't like we could_ _ **do**_ _anything but cuddle. Everyone is in the same room so there's no privacy at all_.'

Esdeath's thoughts were mutinous as well. ' _It's been_ _ **three whole days**_ _since Naruto-kun was able to play with Hinata-chan and I. We can't even snuggle in these things. I wonder if there's a hotel we can rent a room in the village_.'

Naruto was pondering if he and the girls could go camping on Kakachichi Lake. He was kind of glaze eyed thinking about Hinata and Esdeath in their swimsuits like back on the cruise ship….

Najenda sat down on one of the bunks. "Well, I informed the higher ups about the ninja situation so we're going to have to turn in early. Esdeath and I have to go see the General Staff and probably one of you ninjas should come along to explain the Tamashi Clan techniques."

"I'll do it." said Sakura. "Thanks to Ino I'm pretty well versed in understanding the mind arts even if I can't perform them."

Naruto nodded, "I guess the rest of us will be out Tamashi Ninja hunting tomorrow then."

Everyone settled in as best they could for the night….

….

 _Esdeath's Dream…._

 _Esdeath found herself at a camp of the Partas Clan from when she was little. However, she was fully grown and in her General's regalia. She saw her Father cleaning up a fresh kill of a danger beast. "Father! Is it really you? Is this a dream…?"_

 _Her Father turned to face her and smiled softly. "Look at you Esdeath; you're all grown up and now a beautiful woman. I can tell how strong you've become. I'm proud of you."_

 _She kneeled and hugged her Father close. "I've missed you so much Father….It's been so long since I've seen you."_

 _He chuckled. "You've been too busy going forward to look back Esdeath. You were 'The Empire's Strongest' after all."_

 _"_ _How did you know Father?" asked Esdeath confused._

 _"_ _Your Mother and I….all the Partas Clan has been watching over you from the other side my daughter." said the light blue haired man. "With every trial you've faced you have become stronger. Those two years you were captive would have broken many but your will of steel carried you through."_

 _"_ _It was living hell." said Esdeath sadly. "I was rescued by Naruto-kun…."_

 _Her Father ruffled Esdeath's hair affectionately. "You've found one worthy of being your husband after all this time Esdeath. Tell me about this Naruto."_

 _Esdeath sat and explained about the adventures she had with Naruto and Hinata. She spoke to her Father for hours. Finally she said, "Father, I've wondered about my dreams and why you're here now. I'm so happy to see you again. I wish you could meet Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan. I think you would like them very much."_

 _He kissed Esdeath's forehead and said, "The reason I'm here is to give my blessing to you starting the new Partas Clan with your husband Naruto and your sister Hinata. Your new clan, the Uzumakis will eclipse the Partas Clan as the strongest. You do not know just how proud you have made all your ancestors; especially your Mother and I."_

 _Esdeath found herself tearing up. "It's time to go for you isn't it Father?" she asked sadly._

 _"_ _Yes, there are danger beasts to hunt." he said as he strapped on his weapons. "We will always be watching over you my daughter. In your veins and your future children's veins our blood runs strong. You will never be alone."_

 _Dream end…._

Esdeath awoke in her bunk and realized she was awake after her dream. She gave a watery smile and whispered, "My family approves of you from the other side Naruto-kun….I'm so happy. I know you would like them too." Esdeath gently fell back to sleep feeling better about herself and decided to tell Naruto and Hinata about her dream as well when they had some privacy….

 **Kakachichi Lake Village**

The next morning Night Raid split up into two search parties of a sort to look for the Tamashi Clan ninjas. With Naruto acting as a sensor; he led Leone, Akame and Wave. The other party was led by Hinata whose byakugan was far more effective in these situations. With her were Mein, Chelsea and Kurome. At the same time Najenda, Esdeath and Sakura were explaining the situation to the commanders of the Revolutionary Army's forces.

 ** _The main square_** ….

After scouting about for a couple of hours Naruto sensed three ninja's chakra signatures nearby and it eventually led them to three non-descript people standing at a food stall. "Those three are Tamashi ninjas Naruto?" asked Wave.

One of them heard Wave turned and saw the orange loving ninja before Naruto could reply. The Tamashi ninja said shakily. "You're _Uzumaki Naruto!_ I-I saw you destroy the demon Mōryō! It caused a volcanic eruption and you walked away _without a scratch!"_

"Ummm….It wasn't that big of a deal." said Naruto embarrassed. "I've come to talk to you Tamashi ninjas. Now I-"

" ** _RUN!_** " screeched the leader of the three as he ran in the opposite direction with his two comrades right behind him. "This guy's a _monster_ ; don't look back, _just run!_ "

The blonde ninja face palmed. "….Good grief…." he muttered. "Come on let's catch them."

"Is there something you haven't told us Naruto-kun?" asked Akame as they roared off in pursuit of the Tamashi group.

Wave was a bit confused but Leone was cackling as she transformed using Lionelle. "Come on, our prey is getting away!" said the busty cat woman laughing.

Wave shrugged and activated Grand Chariot hearing Naruto yell behind him, "Just knock them out! Killing them isn't necessary! It's a chunin and two genins from their chakra levels."

Leone had already tackled one of the genins as they tumbled across the square. Wave was chasing after the shrieking chunin that was running away in terror. The remaining genin was smart enough to dive into the crowds to blend in and hide.

The chunin ran up the side of a nearby building using chakra and still screaming in a girly voice as Wave sped after him with a leap. Akame had a flat look on her face as she watched the chunin announce his position to everyone as he continued to carry on like a frightened school girl. She turned to Naruto with emotionless red eyes and said, "I thought you ninjas were supposed to be _stealthy_ Naruto-kun."

Naruto sweat dropped. "We are Akame-chan. The one genin is the only one that hid like he was supposed to and suppressed his chakra. We got two of the three anyway." ' _These people are giving ninjas a bad name_ ….'

Leone was happily dragging the unconscious genin back over to Naruto and Akame and Wave finally managed to knock out the panicky chunin just to shut him up.

"You must have some reputation Naruto." said Wave conversationally. "This guy nearly wet himself in fear trying to get away. What did you _do_ to these people? They were running like General Esdeath was after them or something."

"I didn't _do_ anything to them." said Naruto with a face palm. "I just am….well known back home. I guess that chunin must have been around when I helped Priestess Shion stop Mōryō back before the war."

Akame poked the unconscious chunin and said, "He's frozen solid. I think he passed out from fear. I would like to hear this Mōryō person though."

"Let's tie them up." said Naruto. "The last one will probably report back to their leader that I'm here. That might give us an advantage in negotiating with them later."

"So who was Mōryō anyway?" asked Wave curiously.

"Mōryō was a Demon trying to take over the Elemental Continent." said Naruto. "It's a long story…."

….

 ** _Merchant district_** ….

Hinata's group hadn't had much luck this morning. The Hyūga kunoichi was beginning to believe the Tamashi Clan must either be hidden underground or their base was actually in the Revolutionary Army Headquarters instead of the Kakachichi Lake Village. (Actually she was correct on both counts). Deactivating her byakugan she heard Kurome's stomach roar and sweat dropped.

"Maybe we should break for lunch." said Chelsea. "There are several restaurants in the area."

Mein nodded in agreement. "Kurome's stomach is obviously a bottomless pit just like Akame's. Let's take a break." The rather tired group soon sat down and was having a quiet lunch together….

Two Tamashi ninjas were watching via long range telescope from across town. They were both chunin level. The chunin ninja named Aki turned to his kunoichi teammate. "Chou, there is no doubt that the Konoha kunoichi is one of those damned Hyūga's. We _need_ to take her out."

Chou shook her head. "I know you hate Hyūgas because of what happened to your parents Aki but ambushing someone with those byakugan eyes is almost impossible."

"We'll move in slow while they are distracted with their meal." said Aki. "With the crowds this time of day we'll be able to blend into the background easily enough. Anyway, with this long range telescope we can see her but she can't see us."

"I still say it's too risky and we don't know the true range of her eyes." said Chou. "We should report back to Taiki-sama and-" Her teammate had already taken off. "Damn it all Aki! I'd better go help him before he gets himself killed."

….

Minutes later, Aki was in the lead with Chou right behind him. As the two Tamashi Clan members approached the Konoha ninja he yelled, " _Die Hyūga bitch!_ " as he drew his kunai. Hinata stood up and spun activating her twin lion fists in the process. Mein was in the process of un-holstering Dreyse when Hinata batted away the two kunai Aki was brandishing with her left and landed a lethal juken strike to the Tamashi ninja's chest with her right that brutally turned his heart to pulp in an instant. The Tamashi ninja stared in disbelief as a gout of blood exploded from his mouth. The man collapsed lifelessly much to his kunoichi companion's shock. Aki was dead before he hit the ground.

Chou looked fearfully at Hinata who said, "Surrender Tamashi kunoichi. I don't wish to kill you as well." The kunoichi raised her hands in defeat. "What is your name?" asked Hinata.

"I'm Tamashi Chou." said the frightened kunoichi.

Hinata quietly restrained Chou and said, "We know your clan has been using your mind jutsus to manipulate the Revolutionary Army's high command. I don't know who you are working for but I have my suspicions. If your clan cooperates then there will be no need for further violence."

Chou lowered her head. "I don't want to die like Aki did…." she said looking at her dead teammate. She looked at Hinata and asked, "Were you in the Fourth Shinobi War Hyūga kunoichi?"

Hinata nodded and said, "I was at the final battle against the Juubi. It was hell on earth."

"We stand no chance then." said Chou. "I'll cooperate with you Hyūga-san."

Mein was a bit dumbfounded. ' _Hinata is on par with Akame in speed….I had no idea_.'

' _No wonder Esdeath considers Hinata an equal_.' thought Chelsea. ' _She killed that ninja in just one strike_.'

Kurome was thoroughly impressed. She hadn't heard about the Fourth Shinobi War but judging by Chou's reaction the dark eyed girl figured it must have been a hell of a battle. ' _This Chou acts like her entire clan is outclassed by Hinata alone. There is much more to our ninja friends than I imagined_.'

 **Tamashi quarters**

Tamashi Taiki had just received more bad news from the genin that escaped Naruto's group. ' _Not only are Konaha ninjas among us; they are being led by Uzumaki Naruto. A few of my people want to fight but I'm not sacrificing my ninjas for the sake of pride. Uzumaki-sama is known for being peaceful. I believe I can talk with him. There simply isn't time to confer with Father at the Capitol_.' Putting two and two together Taiki easily figured out the mystery of the 'giant fox beast' that destroyed the ultra class danger beast Anasi. "That was the nine tails. We don't stand a chance in hell against that kind of firepower." thought the jonin aloud. ' _I'll have to negotiate with Uzumaki-sama personally to assure my people's safety_.'

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, a bit shorter than I originally planned but I wanted to get _something_ out to prove I'm still alive. As I am behind on all my planned updates except _**Curse of the Ryugan**_ I'm not sure what I'll be updating next. I may continue with this story for a couple of chapters or switch to something else. Work is fouled up this week so I won't have as much time to dedicate to writing as I'd like. Hopefully I'll have something out next week regardless. See you next time. Blue out. 5/9/16


	18. Chapter 18

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

 _The catch up on my story backlog continues. This month I plan to get_ _ **Trapped Under Ice**_ _and_ _ **Dragon's Maw**_ _caught up among other things. Here is chapter 18. Enjoy!_

Last time:

 _Chou lowered her head. "I don't want to die like Aki did…." she said looking at her dead teammate. She looked at Hinata and asked, "Were you in the Fourth Shinobi War Hyūga kunoichi?"_

 _Hinata nodded and said, "I was at the final battle against the Juubi. It was hell on earth."_

 _"_ _We stand no chance then." said Chou. "I'll cooperate with you Hyūga-san."_

 _Mein was a bit dumbfounded. '_ _Hinata is on par with Akame in speed….I had no idea_ _.'_

 _'_ _No wonder Esdeath considers Hinata an equal_ _.' thought Chelsea. '_ _She killed that ninja in just one strike_ _.'_

 _Kurome was thoroughly impressed. She hadn't heard about the Fourth Shinobi War but judging by Chou's reaction the dark eyed girl figured it must have been a hell of a battle. '_ _This Chou acts like her entire clan is outclassed by Hinata alone. There is much more to our ninja friends than I imagined_ _.'_

 ** _Tamashi quarters_**

 _Tamashi Taiki had just received more bad news from the genin that escaped Naruto's group._ _' Not only are Konaha ninjas among us; they are being led by Uzumaki Naruto. A few of my people want to fight but I'm not sacrificing my ninjas for the sake of pride. Uzumaki-sama is known for being peaceful. I believe I can talk with him. There simply isn't time to confer with Father at the Capitol_ _.' Putting two and two together Taiki easily figured out the mystery of the 'giant fox beast' that destroyed the ultra class danger beast Anasi. "That was the nine tails. We don't stand a chance in hell against that kind of firepower." thought the jonin aloud. '_ _I'll have to negotiate with Uzumaki-sama personally to assure my people's safety_ _.'_

Chapter 18

 **Imperial Continent, Revolutionary Army Headquarters**

Outside the central planning room where the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Operations General Kleinwald his staff of were planning….

A Revolutionary Army Guard looked puzzled at the man in front of him. This guy had literally appeared out of nowhere and said he wished to surrender. "Ummm….who are you again sir?" asked the guard.

The Tamashi Clan Leader said calmly as he willed himself not to face palm, "I am Tamashi Taiki and on behalf of my clan I wish speak to Uzumaki Naruto-sama and negotiate our surrender."

"Oh; huh. How about that." said the guard. "Who is this Uzumaki-sama you are talking about and how did you get past all the security?"

"I'm a ninja." explained Taiki plainly as if that would explain everything.

The guard knocked on the maximum security door behind him and a viewing slot opened showing a pair of beady eyes. "What is it Heinzman?" asked a gruff voice from behind the slot.

"Lieutenant Franz, Sir." said the now named Heinzman. "This character somehow got past all our security and says he wants to surrender."

"Just how the hell did he do that?" asked Franz from behind the door.

"He didn't say." replied the guard. "I just got on shift and he appeared out of nowhere. Do you think he escaped the mental ward?"

Now Taiki _was_ face palming. He said, "Lieutenant Franz, I am a Tamashi ninja and I wish to negotiate surrender terms with Uzumaki Naruto-sama who is travelling with Night Raid."

The beady eyes in the vision slot suddenly widened and jolted backwards. There was an almighty crashing noise from behind the door as Franz fell backwards. He yelled loudly in a panic, "D-don't you _dare_ move Tamashi ninja! I'll be right back. Don't move an inch or….or _else!_ " The viewing slot slammed shut.

Taiki turned to Heinzman and said, "Is that Franz person always so jumpy?"

Heinzman shook his head. "Ever since those crazy killings happened he's been convinced someone is after him because he's an officer."

The ninja shrugged. "He's really not important enough in the chain of command to be a target for anyone."

"We all just wish he'd take a pill and relax." confessed Heinzman also with a shrug.

The door suddenly opened and a certain pink haired kunoichi medic was standing there. The killing intent she was exuding showed clearly where she stood in the food chain. Heinzman was nearly bowled over and Taiki stood stiffly at attention. Sakura said authoritatively, "I am Haruno Sakura, chunin kunoichi of Konoha and apprentice to the Fifth Hokage, Senju Tsunade-sama. Identify yourself."

Taiki gulped, ' ** _This_** _is a chunin?_ ' "I am Tamashi Taiki, jonin of the Tamashi ninja clan. I am in charge of the Tamashi ninja's operations here and wish to negotiate our surrender with Uzumaki-sama."

Sakura's emerald eyes scrutinized the Tamishi Clan jonin. ' _Average height, swimmer's build, brown hair and brown eyes_.' I'm Uzumaki Naruto's teammate. Enter and sit down. I'll send a runner to get Naruto."

Taiki bowed. "Thank you Haruno-san."

"Ar-aren't you going to check him for weapons?" squeaked Franz in the background.

Sakura growled, "You aren't important enough to be a target Franz. Just shut up." She motioned with her right hand. "Please hand over the two leg kunai pouches and the senbon launcher to Heinzman. The chokuto on your back also."

Taiki handed the items and said, "Anything else Haruno-san?"

"The knife shoes and the belt too." said Hinata as she came into view with her byakugan activated.

The jonin's eyes widened. "No wonder we were spotted so easily. As you wish Hyūga-san."

After handing the last of his weapons over, Sakura grabbed Taiki's arm with her incredible strength and slapped a chakra suppressor seal on him. " _Now_ you can come in." said the rosette.

"Are you a chunin also?" Taiki asked Hinata as the two kunoichis marched him in to sit.

"I'm Hyūga Hinata; a chunin that was at the final battle with the Juubi." said Hinata with a flare of killing intent.

Taiki quickly said, "I will cause no trouble."

….

 ** _Meanwhile_** ….

"….Esdeath-chan…." said Naruto as he captured his light blue haired girlfriend from behind. She moaned as he ran his chakra laced hands over her bosom and down her toned stomach.

She gasped as Naruto started kissing and nibbling on her neck. "N-Nar-Naruto…." Esdeath practically purred. "Mmmm….My clan _so_ approves of you my love…."

Naruto really wasn't sure what his beautiful blue eyed lover was saying but he was far more focused on using his hijutsu as he ran his hands over her thighs and nether regions. He whispered to her, "Let me love you Esdeath-chan."

Esdeath spun around rapidly and smashed her lips into Naruto's. She had her hands in his hair as she smiled ferally at her lover. ' _This one is my one mate forever_ ….' "I love you Naruto-kun." she whispered. The two started necking wildly as she felt the blood rushing through her veins. Naruto's chakra laced fingers danced over Esdeath's skin and drove her wilder and wilder. As her heart hammered she felt her blonde lover pick her up and enter her for the first time in days. Esdeath groaned erotically as she adjusted her body so his length could go in deeper. The beautiful general's soul was on fire as she rode Naruto rapidly. She smiled in ecstasy as she reached her first climax….

Naruto laid her down and admired her through his lust filled haze. "I can't get enough of you…." he said with wild eyes. She smiled eagerly a wrapped her legs around him knowing that he was going to please her for a _loooong_ time to come….

….

As Esdeath and Naruto exited General Kleinwald's private quarters two hours later she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. "It was nice of the General to let us borrow his bed." said Esdeath as she gently bumped her hip into Naruto's.

Naruto smiled amused as he used his lock pick to lock the door behind them. "Yes, I'm sure he won't mind."

"You need to bring Hinata-chan down here later." said Esdeath. "I know she's been as….frustrated….as much as I have been."

Naruto kissed the light blue haired beauty and said, "You know I'm always here to take care of you girls…."

She giggled and the pair nonchalantly went back to the cramped barracks that General Kleinwald had stuck Night Raid in….

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

The Commandant was reading about the ' _incident_ ' that took place between Honest's personal execution squad and the two remaining Jaegers. All the report said was Captain Esel and his men were sent to retrieve the Teigus Grand Chariot and Yatsufusa by force and were killed. The accompanying pictures showed that Esel was crushed but the rest were clearly dismembered….no doubt by Kurome. The bald man was furious. Kurome was forced to _defend_ herself and fled after being attacked by Commonwealth forces. Worst of all she fled to her traitorous elder sister and joined the enemy.

The monocle wearing man quietly closed the report and filed it away. ' _Damn that fucking pig! Rather than trying to recruit her Honest did his best to kill her and take her Teigu. All I'd have had to do was walk up to her and order her. God damn it! I don't even know how she's still alive. The Revolutionaries must have been able to copy or replicate some of my drug formulas_.' The Commandant shook his head. ' _Confronting Honest about this will only cause me further problems and I can't afford to have him cut my funding. I'm just going to have to accept this as a loss. No doubt that Kurome will soon die regardless. Her body is mostly used up. I'll just focus on the fact that she served me well and for all intents and purposes….is already dead_.'

"It's time for me to check up on the Elites." thought the Commandant aloud. ' _Yes, it's better to focus on the present rather than the past. My new assassins will be better than the old ones. I will see to that_ _ **personally**_.'

….

 **Southern Regions**

The next morning the Tamashi Clan chunin Tamashi Eito was running. When Taiki-sama announced he was going to 'negotiate' with Uzumaki Naruto last night the young chunin knew he had to flee to Taiki-sama's Father and elder brother in the Imperial Capitol. In Eito's opinion Taiki-sama was speaking treason. Eito fled north knowing that a messenger bird was already carrying the news of the Konoha ninjas but saying all was lost and giving up was not only giving up all hope; it was throwing away the pride of generations of Tamashi ancestors! What Eito hadn't expected when he set out was the fact he was being tailed….

Eito was currently hiding in a large rocky outcropping and was regaining his breath. He'd been running flat out for over an hour. "Damn you for your cowardice Taiki-sama. You have disgraced us all." Eito growled to himself. The truth was the chase had been relentless and the _Slayer of Mōryō_ himself was pursuing Eito. "Curse you and your speed you orange demon! I know I can't defeat you but I'll be damned if I can't elude you!" he thought aloud.

"You know you think out loud a lot Tamashi ninja." said a voice from above him. Eito looked up in terror and saw Naruto standing on the rocks above him with his red sage coat billowing in the wind. Naruto smiled down and said, "Thinking loudly can easily give away your position to your enemies. Why don't you just be reasonable and surrender?"

"I'll destroy you utterly you monster! _Mind destruction jutsu!_ " screamed Eito as he focused his chakra to release the Tamashi's most devastating mind technique. A beam of chakra shot from Eito's forehead straight into Naruto's.

The young Sage looked down at Eito and blinked. "Ummm….was that it?" he asked. "The Yamanaka's jutsus make that look like a tickle torture."

Eito fell back and collapsed from chakra exhaustion. Between the Mind destruction technique (that he wasn't very good at) and using chakra to increase his speed the chunin was far too worn out to fight or flee any further. He wheezed out, "Curse those Yamanakas! That should have turned your mind into liquid."

Another Naruto walked up from behind the prone Eito and said to the first Naruto; "What did you do to him man? Boss said to bring him back alive. His chakra's really low."

The first Naruto said, "This poor sap tried to use some jutsu that was supposed to destroy my brain and it wore him out. What about the other two runners?"

The second blonde answered, "Well, Esdeath-chan couldn't help herself and froze one of them solid. The other one that was big and muscle bound tried to out-taijutsu Sakura-chan through pure physical strength….it wasn't too pretty."

The first blonde winced and said, "Sounds painful. Will either of them live?"

"The one that was frozen died instantly but the one that fought Sakura-chan is busted up really bad." explained the second Naruto. "I doubt he'll ever fully recover."

"Damn." said the first. "Boss will be happy we captured this guy intact then."

Eito said weakly, "Who is this **_boss_** that could control _The Slayer of Mōryō?!_ –And why are there two of you?"

The first Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Boss is the original Uzumaki Naruto. We're shadow clones."

The Tamashi chunin's eyes were big as saucers. "Y-you mean….you mean I used the most powerful jutsu in the Tamashi arsenal and it didn't even kill a **_clone_**!?"

"Ummm, well….that's pretty much it man." said the first clone. Seeing Eito tearing up the clone patted Eito's shoulder and said. "It's alright to cry sometimes."

Eito exploded into tears and hugged the first clone. "Th-thank you being so understanding…." After a good cry Eito surrendered peacefully and a third clone showed up and carried him back to the Kakachichi Village because Eito was too exhausted to move much. "You really are a nice guy Naruto-sama." said Eito as Naruto's clone hauled him along.

The third clone said uncomfortably, "It's okay man, just relax." ' _I hope the whole clan isn't as emotional as this guy. What a crybaby_ ….'

….

 **Revolutionary Army Headquarters**

General Kleinwald was livid and was ranting and raving to his staff as well as others present such as Najenda and Esdeath. "Someone broke into my room and _completely_ vandalized it yesterday. My deluxe four poster bed was _smashed to pieces!_ "

Esdeath covered her smile with her hand as General Kleinwald told his sob story. ' _It seems that Hinata-chan and Naruto-kun finished off what he and I started. Considering Kleinwald practically shoved all of Night Raid in a closet sized barracks he deserves a little embarrassment. What a fop._ ' The light blue haired general further thought to herself, ' _Those silencing seals sure are handy. I was really loud while we were at it yesterday_ ….'

"So how did the four poster bed get destroyed General Kleinwald?" asked another general. "Was it a mace or axe or what? No one heard anything."

Kleinwald's face was _glowing_ red by now. "Someone was _fucking_ in my bed like animals in heat and _totally demolished_ the bed in the process!"

The whole staff broke out into wild chatter over this. All the military protocols were out the window for now. Najenda caught Esdeath smirking with a gleam in her eye. It was obvious the blue haired general was fighting to keep from exploding into laughter. ' _Oh boy, I wonder what Esdeath knows about this fiasco. I think Kleinwald is more worried about his damn bed than the enemy right now. On the positive side the whole Tamashi ninja situation is under control. That a huge victory as far as I'm concerned_ ….'

….

 ** _Meanwhile_** ….

Taiki was sitting at a table with Naruto having tea. "Naruto-sama, with the power of the nine-tails at your disposal there was simply no point in trying to fight you. There is a line between pride and stupidity. Unlike some of my clansmen I know where that line is. It's foolish to go into battle with no chance of winning."

"Well, I'm glad you decided to surrender peacefully." said Naruto. "I hope the rest of your clan up north will join in your decision. Honest is crooked as a dog's hind leg. I truly fear for the safety of your brethren in the Capitol."

The Tamashi Clan Leader nodded. "When Honest broke away from the Empire we of the Tamashi Clan concluded that staying in his employ was questionable at best. The only one still fully behind Honest is my elder brother Tomoki but my Father Toru-sama is already considering other options."

Naruto sighed. "Well, we've accounted for everybody but the three that ran. There were twenty seven of you stationed here and we captured four and killed one. That means the nineteen of you who surrendered peacefully should be considered neutralized by the Revolutionary Army. It will take some negotiating but in exchange for information on Honest perhaps we can cut a deal for you to work for the Revolutionary Army."

The ever skittish Lieutenant Franz came in and said, "It looks like the other three have been captured or killed." He turned to Taiki and said, "The one name Eito was captured successfully though he is exhausted. The younger one was slain and the big muscular one is currently in intensive care. He tried to fist fight Miss Sakura. I'm guessing that was a mistake."

Taiki sighed, "At least Eito will be okay for now. Thank you for letting me know Lieutenant."

 _The southern branch of the Tamashi group had surrendered and were in custody. What of the group at the Imperial Capitol?_

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Najasho was supervising the 'shrimps' as he called the others. The group was slowly learning to discuss their situation without actually _discussing_ it. The key words where ' _I should say_ ….' that they used among themselves in private. As it was the group was having an early lunch. Since no one was around to observe them during this time they were talking about a particular subject that ran deep with all of them….Akame.

Tsukushi said to the others, "Akame-chan is our dear friend! I cannot imagine her turning traitor without a reason." _'I don't want to hurt Akame-chan!_ '

' _Somehow our minds have been conditioned. It seems like we are able to talk more from time to time but I haven't established a pattern yet_.' thought Najasho. " _I should say_ we need to hunt her down regardless of how we feel about the situation."

Green was daydreaming about Akame and said, "We have to solve this mystery and the Commandant clearly doesn't want us to know things. Information is being withheld from us."

" _I should say_ the Commandant's word is law and we have to obey him." said Cornelia. ' _There must be some way to break out of this_.' The others all nodded in agreement.

Pony was still grappling with the concept of how it was she couldn't say what she thought. "Maybe Akame got stuck in a situation like we are in and figured out a way to escape. That would be _turning traitor_ wouldn't it?"

Najasho nodded. "You have a good point there shrimp. The definition of traitor covers a pretty wide area." ' _What else has happened in the world while we were dead?_ '

"We're like rats in a maze." grumbled Guy. "We're training hard to fight against what _I should say_ is the enemy; the Empire." ' _Pop wouldn't allow this….could he have died too?_ '

Taeko sighed. "Regardless I am with you guys. Akame killed me but for some reason I don't hold it against her. _I should say_ she's the worst enemy out there." ' _We have to work together to get out of this. The Commandant is our_ _ **real**_ _enemy_.'

"Is it just me or do our tongues seem to tighten up after we eat?" asked Green.

Najasho raised an eyebrow. ' _Drugs in the food!_ ' "Perhaps we should consider alternate sources for food. After lunch let's start looking into that shall we?"

….

 **Night Raid's temporary quarters**

Hinata smiled as she giggled to herself ' _I can't believe we did that yesterday! Risking getting it on in the stuffy old general's room added to the thrill_.' (giggle) ' _The bed breaking after Naruto-kun took me doggy style was hilarious. It serves that old general right for not letting us have any privacy. Mmmm….I love my Naruto-kun when he's in a devious mood!_ ' (giggle).

Akame smiled over at Hinata who seemed to be beaming this morning. "What's up Hinata-chan? You seem to be in very high spirits this morning."

The Hyūga Heiress blushed a tiny bit and said, "I was just thinking about Naruto-kun." She smiled and added, "He always knows how to make life _interesting_ (giggle)."

The assassin's red eyes were full of curiosity but she decided not to ask. "Naruto-kun is an interesting person."

Hinata nodded and hummed happily to herself. Then she noticed the two of them were all alone. The Heiress smiled softly and asked, "Akame-chan, you like Naruto-kun don't you?"

Akame blushed heavily and stammered out, "O-of course I like him! Naruto-kun is a good friend."

Smiling gently Hinata said, "Esdeath-chan and I were discussing the future of the new Uzumaki Clan we are founding with Naruto-kun. We haven't talked to him yet but both of us wondered if you would like to be part of our future family."

Akame's eyes got big. "Do you really mean that?"

The Heiress nodded. "It was Esdeath-chan's idea actually but since you are my dear friend it wasn't too hard to convince me."

The young assassin smiled happily and hugged Hinata. "I would love to be part of your family." she said sincerely.

"We'll talk with Naruto-kun then." said Hinata as she returned Akame's hug.

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Territory, Tamashi Base**

Tamashi Toru was once again reading the letter of his younger son Taiki detailing that he planned to negotiate with Uzumaki Naruto-sama rather than try to fight the _Slayer of Mōryō_. _Toru could not refute his son's logical solution to the situation. 'Uzumaki-sama is a one man_ _ **army killer**_ _!_ ' Toru felt that the entire Tamashi Clan couldn't take on the _Savior of the World_. Unfortunately the Tamashi Clan head's older son Tomoki didn't agree at all and was livid about the situation. ' _Between the two, Taiki always was more level headed. Tomoki lets his passion go to his head. I was considering trying to covertly negotiate with the Empire but perhaps the Revolutionary Army might be a preferable choice. Especially if they have the power of the nine tails on their side_.'

Toru's son Tomiki came roaring back in ranting for the _third_ time that morning. "Taiki is a disgrace to our clan's name Father! You should expel him from the clan for his cowardly actions. As far as I am concerned he is a traitor. All those under him should have revolted against him by now for his treachery. We should-"

" _Do_ _ **shut up**_ _Tomoki_." ordered Toru in an iron tone. Tomoki's mouth snapped shut on reflex. Toru took a calming breath and said, "Sit down." Once his son was sitting in the seiza position in front of him Toru sad, "You do realize your brother is facing a ninja that controls the nine-tails don't you? Think boy! What do you think that ' _giant fox teigu_ ' was that destroyed that monstrous spider beast Anasi was anyway?"

Tomoki gasped in realization and was about to say something but his Father cut him off. "The reality is Uzumaki Naruto-sama is on this continent and wields enough power to blow away entire _villages_ in one shot. Do you _truly_ think our ancestors would want our clan throwing itself against a _force of nature_ the likes of Uzumaki? It would be like sending a squad of ants against a _dragon!_ Taiki had no choice in the matter. I entrusted him with the lives of our clansmen and he saved them from probable extinction by doing what he did. I've had enough of your little tantrum Tomoki."

"Father I just thought-" said Tomoki.

"No Tomoki, you _didn't_ think." growled Toru. "You just went off half cocked as usual. The situation is under control. I've sent your cousins Kaede and Daisuke down there to assess the situation. They are our best infiltrators. Our duty is to make sure our clansmen are safe and try to fix the situation; not to spew vile things about Taiki while he is not here to defend his actions. Do you understand?"

Tomoki bowed and grit his teeth. "Yes Father, I understand perfectly."

Toru simply nodded and dismissed his hot headed son with a hand motion.

' _Now it's just a matter of waiting to see what the twins find out_.' thought Toru.

….

 **Kakachichi Lake Village**

Kurome and Wave were walking through the village hand in hand as they went to meet up with Leone and Mein for lunch. "It's hard to believe a small army of ninjas surrendered because of Naruto's reputation alone." said Kurome with a chuckle. "We could have not even been here and the result would have been the same."

Wave nodded. "Well, from what the Tamashi ninjas said when they turned themselves in this morning he destroyed that demon Mōryō which must have been some kind of massive danger beast. Naruto claimed that priestess was a major part of it but the Tamashi ninjas all say otherwise. If it caused a volcano to erupt from the crossfire it must have been one hell of a fight."

The young couple soon arrived at the restaurant and saw Mein and Leone waving them over to sit at a table. Kurome's stomach roared and Wave sweat dropped as he led his petite girlfriend over to the others. As they sat down Mein said, "We heard Kurome's stomach all the way over here. She's just like Akame. You'd better order something!" Mein called for a waiter and soon the group was eating for their meals.

Before long they were discussing the same topic that Kurome and Wave had been conversing about earlier. Leone scratched her neck and said, "Believe me; if you had seen the battle against that monster spider Anasi you would understand _why_ they fear Naruto's power. It's unbelievable."

Mein nodded in agreement. "I'm still in denial about what went down at Malum Village. Seeing an ultra class danger beast get blown into a million pieces is quite a sight. Its body parts flew for miles. The craziest part is Naruto and his partner seemed more like they enjoyed a good fight than anything."

"My question is whether or not the Tamashi Ninjas will join our side." said Wave. "General Najenda seemed pretty sure of it."

Kurome smiled. "General Esdeath seemed sure of it too Wave-kun."

Leone drummed her fingers. "Well, from what Sakura, Hinata and Naruto have said in the past; most ninjas groups are mercenaries for hire outside of the big villages. It would be just like hiring an assassin clan like the Oarburghs. The only problem I see is the Tamashi group in the Imperial Capitol is still on Honest's payroll. That could lead to a serious conflict of interest…."

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Tamashi Tomoki was speaking with Lord Protector Honest. "My Father is breaking under the pressure Lord Protector. I have no doubt that everyone in Taiki's group has been eliminated. They must be spinning in their graves know they were put to death by my brother's foolishness. Father has this blind faith that they are alive. How can I convince him to see the light?"

Honest smiled in a Fatherly way. "Tomoki my boy, it's plain to see for everyone else but sometimes a parent is blinded by love for their children. I was guilty of the same thing when my dear son died. However, as people in charge of leading others we can't afford to be blinded. Your Father needs to grieve but he also needs to face reality. If he can't lead the Tamashi Clan then you may need to step in and take the weight of leadership on your own shoulders."

Tomoki's eyes widened, "You mean for me to usurp my Father?"

"Nothing of the sort." said Honest reassuringly. "What I'm saying is you have to take responsibility for your clan. It's obvious that your younger brother failed and it has broken your Father. I don't blame either one of them because they are only human. But _you_ Tomoki; under your aegis your clan can take on the mightiest of foes. Give your Father a few days to realize his folly but if he doesn't come around soon the consequences for your clan could be disastrous. I realize I am your employer but I'm also your _friend_ Tomoki. I know when the time comes you will do what needs to be done. Just know if you need guidance or support from me all you have to do is ask."

Tomoki nodded to himself. "I feel better about things Lord Honest. I hope it doesn't come to that but-"

"I'm glad you came to see me Tomoki." said Honest. "I know if it comes to that you are a _man of action_ and will not fail to do what _must_ be done."

Tomoki bowed. "Thank you Lord Honest. I'd best get back to my duties for the clan."

"Remember Tomoki, my door is always open should you need to talk again." said the bloated politician.

As Tomoki left the crooked official thought to himself, ' _What a stupid idiot. Once Toru is gone the Tamashi ninja clan will be firmly under_ _ **my**_ _control_.'

….

 ** _Meanwhile_** ….

The Commandant was carefully studying his records of the Elites. The brainwashing drugs had to used sparingly or it could cause loss of higher motor functions and render the subject worthless as an assassin. Several test subjects had to be euthanized because of that. ' _The biggest problem is a bunch of teenagers tend to eat different amounts. Guy eats like a horse but Tsukushi is a very light eater. We've had to lower the overall dosages in their meals to prevent Guy from getting brain damage. I considered giving each of them specific amounts but Gozuki's method of raising them basically means they eat communally as a family regardless and share their food. What a_ _ **ridiculous**_ _concept. I'm disgusted by it but that's one thing in their routine I need to leave alone. Their teamwork is based on family unity and even Taeko has readily conformed to this. I can't afford to break them up_.'

The bald man had been interviewing the Elites about their progress. Looking over his notes he was generally pleased. ' _They seem to finally be settling into their proper roles quite nicely. Before as a group and individually they were quite rebellious but that seems to have settled down. I haven't been entirely successful about tamping down their curiosity about Akame but Najasho in particular wants to know so they can devise a way to_ _ **fight**_ _her. This is a good sign_.' He looked at Tsukushi and Taeko's records with particular interest. ' _Tsukushi and Akame were best friends but she finally has come to accept that Akame betrayed them all. It took longer than I'd estimated_.' He looked at Taeko's psyche profile and pondered. ' _Taeko's reaction is odd. I predicted as a member of the Oarsburghs that she would hate Akame and swear vengeance upon her but the girl is much more pragmatic than I realized_.'

"Ugh!" he growled. " _This_ is why I _hate_ dealing with children that weren't programmed from early childhood." thought the Commandant aloud. "They have unpredictable personalities and allowances have to be made for that. Their peculiarities make them much more difficult to supervise." He sighed. "I can't even police their eating habits because the patterns have already been thoroughly engrained in them. Gozuki is laughing at me from beyond the grave. I just know it!"

POSTSCRIPT:

This chapter pretty much establishes things for the next stage of this story arc. It jumps around a bit but not as badly as I originally thought. I haven't forgotten about Emperor Makoto and the Empire. They just weren't as relevant this chapter. The Commandant has more issues than he realizes because the Elites aren't the little robots he always wanted. By lessening the drugs he's been feeding them now he's losing more and more control. The Tamashi Clan has been divided because family loyalties are going in different directions and Honest is trying to capitalize on that. What will the consequences of that be? And finally, Naruto and his girls simply can't stop causing trouble for a certain stingy general. See you next time. Blue out. 8/3/16


	19. Chapter 19

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

 _Thanks everyone for their continued support! This story just broke 900 reviews which is a real milestone for me. The Ninja Hunters Arc isn't over but this chapter we're starting a sub-arc called A Southern Vacation. I doubt it will be that long but I was in the mood for something a little different. The update of the core stories continues! The next story I hope to update is_ _ **Dragon's Maw**_ _. Here we go with Chapter 19. Enjoy!_

Last time:

 _'…_ _.Gozuki's method of raising them basically means they eat communally as a family regardless and share their food. What a_ _ **ridiculous**_ _concept. I'm disgusted by it but that's one thing in their routine I need to leave alone. Their teamwork is based on family unity and even Taeko has readily conformed to this. I can't afford to break them up._ _'_

 _The bald man had been interviewing the Elites about their progress. Looking over his notes he was generally pleased. '_ _They seem to finally be settling into their proper roles quite nicely. Before as a group and individually they were quite rebellious but that seems to have settled down. I haven't been entirely successful about tamping down their curiosity about Akame but Najasho in particular wants to know so they can devise a way to_ _ **fight**_ _her. This is a good sign_ _. ' He looked at Tsukushi and Taeko's records with particular interest. '_ _Tsukushi and Akame were best friends but she finally has come to accept that Akame betrayed them all. It took longer than I'd estimated._ _' He looked at Taeko's psyche profile and pondered. '_ _Taeko's reaction is odd. I predicted as a member of the Oarsburghs that she would hate Akame and swear vengeance upon her but the girl is much more pragmatic than I realized_ _.'_

 _"_ _Ugh!" he growled. "_ _This_ _is why I_ _hate_ _dealing with children that weren't programmed from early childhood." thought the Commandant aloud. "They have unpredictable personalities and allowances have to be made for that. Their peculiarities make them much more difficult to supervise." He sighed. "I can't even police their eating habits because the patterns have already been thoroughly engrained in them. Gozuki is laughing at me from beyond the grave. I just know it!"_

Chapter 19

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Lord Protector Honest was looking over the maps of the Capitol and saw that the Imperial Forces had made a sweep south and taken over the mostly uncontested territory. It seemed like a waste of manpower to Honest but Chevic was a clever strategist. "What is that old man up to?" wondered the bloated politician aloud. Honest popped a couple of pain pills and had a bowl of ice cream to wash them down. Ever since Cruauté's decapitated head turned up at lunch; Honest lost his taste for cake (poor guy). Fortunately there were plenty of other sweets to snack on and fill his ever expanding gut.

Honest's top General was Field Marshall Spiel. He was currently calling for more troops but the Commonwealth had already conscripted thousands to swell their ranks. Spiel was a bit of a gambler as well. Honest gave the man credit where it was due. Most of the time Spiel's daring moves paid off but against a seasoned strategist like Chevic; Spiel was coming up short. Honest was calling for support from the territories for Imperial Commanders to support the Commonwealth but they all seemed very comfortable to give Honest nothing but lip service and stay where they were.

' _All these cowards seem quite content to watch the civil war here in the Capitol play itself out from a safe distance_.' thought the Lord Protector. ' _When we win I'll make sure they_ _ **suffer**_ _for not coming here and supporting the Commonwealth!_ '

….

 **Imperial Continent, Kakachichi Lake Village**

It had been a long and strenuous week and Night Raid was taking a break down at the beach at Kakachichi Lake. Najenda had made arrangements for them to have some down time since the Tamashi ninjas were more or less under truce. Everyone was either sunning or playing in the water….

….And Akame was in heaven as Naruto gently rubbed sunscreen onto her skin. ' _Oh god it's hot out_.' thought the red eyed girl as the blonde ninja gently ran his large hands over her back. ' _His hands are so smooooth_ ….' The sounds of other people around them on the beach and the people splashing and playing in the water nearby were totally lost upon the black haired assassin. ' _I'm melting into goo. This feels so good_ ….' She thought lazily.

"Your skin is so soft Akame-chan." said Naruto as he went over her shoulders and then down her spine that caused her to gasp in pleasure.

Akame had on a red bikini with ruffles that she _wanted_ Naruto to peel off of her. Esdeath and Hinata asked Naruto to give Akame a back massage to relax her tense muscles but Akame wasn't expecting **_this_**. ' _I've never felt this way before. It's too hot to handle. How can I be so excited and so relaxed at the same time?_ ' "I could die happy right now Naruto-kun." she said lethargically. Naruto chuckled as he moved to her narrow waist and the red eyed assassin practically purred in pleasure at his hijitsu massage.

Naruto thought to himself, ' _She's way more sensitive than Esdeath-chan and Hinata-chan! I need to be careful or she'll_ -' Akame let out an erotic moan of orgasmic bliss. "Are you okay Akame-chan?" he asked hoping she wasn't terribly embarrassed. ' _Of course; how could she not be mortified?_ ' thought the blonde ninja in concern.

"Mmmm…. _More_ Naruto-kun…." whispered Akame huskily. "It's sooo hot to the touch…."

Naruto raised his eyebrows. ' _I guess she's not that self conscious after all_ ….'

….

Esdeath was basking in the surf in a white two piece swimsuit along with one of Naruto's clones. She heard a moan from Akame and raised an eyebrow. She smiled slyly and said to the clone, "Hinata-chan and I asked your original to give Akame a good back massage; not seduce her in public."

The clone face palmed. "I don't know what boss is thinking doing that in broad daylight."

Hinata came splashing up out of the water wearing a black bikini. She had another clone of Naruto with her and was giggling. "Showing Akame-chan a good time on your first date Naruto-kun?"

The shadow clone sighed. "I don't think that was part of the plan Hinata-chan" Hinata just laughed at the clone's embarrassment.

….

It wasn't until another hour and another two orgasms later that Akame realized she'd soaked her swimsuit clean through and she blushed. "Let's go swimming Naruto-kun." she said nervously. ' _I have to get my whole body wet to cool off_.' thought the red eyed girl frantically.

Naruto nodded and she took off towards the water in a sprint. ' _I guess she came to a realization_ ….' thought Naruto.

" ** _Aren't you rushing things a bit?_** " asked Kurama. " ** _Didn't she tell you this was the first time she'd been on an actual date Naruto?_** "

' _I didn't think she'd have hyper sensitive skin Kurama!_ ' replied the blonde embarrassed. ' _I mean, Hinata-chan or Esdeath-chan would have just been getting revved when Akame-chan got hit like a sledge hammer!_ '

Kurama drummed his fingers and said, " ** _Well, that excuses the_** ** _first_** ** _time she climaxed but the second and third times you knew_** ** _exactly_** ** _what you were doing_**."

Naruto was blushing at his furry partner's interrogation. ' _Well, Akame-chan kept telling me she wanted more_ ….'

" ** _Well, if that doesn't make her your third official girlfriend then I don't know what will."_** groused the ancient fox. " ** _That perverted Master of yours created a monster when he taught you hijitsu massage techniques_**."

 _'_ _In my defense I had no idea how effective they could be_.' said the blonde. ' _I really thought that it just made girls happy_.'

" ** _It_** ** _does_** ** _moron._** ** _Really_** ** _happy_**." said Kurama. " ** _You do know that pervert is laughing his ass off from the other side don't you?_** "

Naruto sweat dropped and said, ' _Don't rub it in fox_ ….' He saw Akame emerge from the lake nice and wet to hide her embarrassment. She waved at him and smiled. "At least Akame-chan's not angry." thought Naruto aloud as he swam over to her.

When Naruto got out to where Akame was she was blushing and said, "Hinata-chan told me your back rubs were amazing but….I never imagined that." She leaned in and put a long, sweet kiss on Naruto's lips. It was their first. Naruto reciprocated and Akame basked in the warm feelings travelling through her body. "I'm very happy Naruto-kun." said the red eyed beauty shyly.

Naruto smiled and said, "I'm happy too Akame-chan." He ran his thumb over her cheek and said, "I didn't mean to rush things."

She smiled brightly and said with fire in her eyes, "I really liked it! You can that _anytime!_ "

Naruto just chuckled at her enthusiasm. ' _I guess it wasn't such a bad thing after all_ ….'

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

The Commandant was reviewing his programs' progress. Group One was a regular assassin's corp that had been recruited from the regular ranks of the Commonwealth but the Commandant felt they were interim at best. They really weren't his responsibility. Half of them were thrill seekers as opposed to professionals. ' _As far as I'm concerned the sooner we dispose of those thugs the better_.' thought the Commandant.

Group Two was the younger children. They were undergoing the doping treatments and as expected many were being euthanized due to their bodies failing. ' _Sadly it will be at least five years before they are ready."_ noted the monocle wearing man _. "They are progressing but it seems agonizingly slow_. _In the long term this group will be our main force. Note to self; get more criminals for them to practice killing on_.'

Group Three was the Elite Seven. The Elites were improving by leaps and bounds. Najasho seemed to have instilled a new fire underneath the Elite Seven and both the Commandant and Lord Protector Honest were thrilled. It seemed that the Commandant taking a more hands off approach and letting the Elites train themselves was yielding much better results. ' _They are getting faster and stronger every day. Gozuki truly had an eye for the best. This program is paying off handsomely. It's odd they hunt danger beasts instead of humans but who am I to argue with the results? Perhaps I should try that with Group Two in order to hone their hunting instincts_.' As pleased as the Commandant was though; it irked him that he didn't seem to have the Elite's blind obedience. They agreed to do as they were told but they didn't fear him like a god that owned their lives. "I guess I will have to continue to give them leeway." He thought aloud. "There is no arguing with the results of their training."

….

 **Revolutionary Army Headquarters**

It was evening and Night Raid and the three Konoha Ninjas walked into the lobby at headquarters to find out why they'd been summoned. Contrary to the smiling, happy faces that had been at the beach earlier that day; they now looked like a pack of hungry predators with Najenda and Esdeath leading them. Most of the regular soldiers stepped aside when they saw the eye patch wearing, cigarette smoking Najenda anyway but the dark aura surrounding the whole group had many of them feeling nervous. Najenda came to the captain of guards on duty and said, "General Kleinwald summoned Night Raid. Inform him that we are here."

The guard captain bowed and ducked back into the room before he said, "Please come in. You are expected." The guard escorted them despite the fact Najenda knew the way.

General Kleinwald saw them enter and thought, ' _What a bunch of bad animals. All of them being here together as a group just makes everyone feel even_ _ **more**_ _intimidated. I should have just talked to Najenda myself instead of listening to my staff. Half of them look ready to piss themselves_.'

The silence in the room was deafening. Finally, Najenda said, "I trust you've called us here for a reason General Kleinwald?"

General Kleinwald was shaken out of his musings and said, "Night Raid has done an excellent job with the Tamashi Ninja situation. We are negotiating a contract with them to insure they are on our side in the future….We want Night Raid to go to the Southern Border."

Najenda looked a bit surprised. "With all due respect, Night Raid by definition is stationed at the Imperial Capital to carry out our duty as assassins against special, high priority targets. Were it not for the Tamashi Ninja situation we would never have left our station."

Kleinwald nodded. "Currently we are building a new hideout for Night Raid near the Capitol. In the meantime your group is needed in the Southern Tribal Lands. They have stayed out of the Empire's territories ever since their subjugation by Imperial General Liver years ago. I believe both you and General Esdeath are familiar with the territory as you were both Imperial Generals in that war as well."

Esdeath said crossly, "Of course we are familiar with the territory. We crushed the revolt of the Ban Tribe** down there in the southwest."

"Because of that we wish your group to negotiate-" started a member of the Genaral's staff.

Najenda held up her hand. "Now _hold on here_ a moment. Both Esdeath and I are absolutely **_hated_** in that area for what happened when the Ban Tribe was put down. We are the _last_ people to be negotiating _anything_ with the Southern Tribes."

"You reap what you sow." said another staff member under his breath.

Najenda's remaining eye narrowed dangerously but it was Esdeath that spoke first. "You don't trust me and want to hand my head over to the Southern Tribes on a silver platter to gain an alliance with them." said the light blue haired beauty.

A few members of the General Staff gasped at being seen though so easily. Najenda growled, "This kind of treachery I expect from the Empire but the Revolutionary Army has no place for it. I refuse to sacrifice Night Raid for this….irrational fear of yours."

General Kleinwald said, "In spite of that being the hope of a minority for General Esdeath to….suffer from misfortune….this is actually a very important mission to deliver an individual safely to her home. I assure you that General Esdeath's action at the Village of Malum has proven to me beyond a doubt that she is on our side." After letting that sink in for a moment General Kleinwald continued. "The individual in question may be targeted by many and is the daughter of the most powerful of the Southern Tribe's Kings. For all intents and purposes she is a princess. Delivering her safely back to her Father without harm will give us leverage in negotiating an alliance with the Southern Tribes."

"So in a nutshell you are sending a bunch of _assassins_ out on bodyguard duty?" asked Najenda nonplussed. It was painfully obvious that everyone in Night Raid was less than enthused.

Kleinwald nodded. "I need among my strongest fighters for this mission. The terrain, the danger beasts and hostile tribes will all need to be overcome. I'm confident that Night Raid can handle all these obstacles. We have to protect her."

Najenda was given a packet showing their route, the expected terrain and weather conditions and what little intelligence the Revolutionary Army had on the Southern Tribe's regions. ' _We're going to be up late studying this material tonight_.' thought Najenda grumpily.

Esdeath said in a resigned tone, "So what is the name of this princess, General Kleinwald?"

"Her name is Amira though she usually is addressed by her title of Princess." said Kleinwald. "She should be packed for your trip by tomorrow morning. I'll introduce her to you then."

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Najasho and the other Elites were gathered around having gained permission to hunt various danger beasts brought in by the Commandant. It took a great deal of convincing on Cornelia and Najasho's parts to let the Elites hunt more dangerous targets than broken prisoners that couldn't fight back. "It was all worth it though." said Cornelia. "Now we are getting stronger and more importantly we have a drug free food supply."

Tsukushi, Green, Cornelia and occasionally Pony also agreed to ' _help_ ' in the kitchen. The overworked cooks were more than glad to have the help and carefully explained the ' _extra nutrients_ ' needed to be added to the Elite's food. (The cooks didn't know what was in the _nutrients_ either). After making sure that the elite assassins understood the amounts had to be very precise the cooks left the four kids to their own devices. Green was dumping the slightly vinegar tasting chemicals down the drain and replacing them with water with a touch of white vinegar to get the desired smell. It was time consuming but with the chemicals gone even the food from the regular cooks was perfectly safe for the Elites to eat.

As the group sat around their meal, Taeko said, "It feels like my thoughts were addled before. Getting the food supply clean has done wonders for all of us."

"I agree." said Cornelia. "Our reflexes and speed have improved as well."

Tsukushi nodded. "I'll bet Akame-chan found out about this and jumped ship. I don't blame her one bit."

"When are we going to make a move?" ask Guy.

Najasho said, "Not so fast shrimp. There is a lot of planning to do and we still feel compelled to obey even if we are thinking more clearly. It's going to take time."

"There is also the question of where we should go." said Green. "All we are being fed is utter bullshit about the state of the Commonwealth, the Empire and the Revolutionary Army. My gut tells me we should find Akame and see what she can tell us.

"I don't want to face Akame-chan until this compulsion to attack her is gone." said Tsukushi.

Pony nodded. "Once that's gone we should find Akame. She can tell us what really happened while we were dead. I have a feeling it's going to be all bad."

"We'll keep playing our parts as the good little soldiers for now." said Najasho with a gleam in his gold eyes. "When we make our move they will never know what hit them."

"That's our Chief!" said Pony excitedly.

Najasho thought to himself, ' _I wonder what happened to Father_ ….'

….

 **Revolutionary Army Headquarters**

It was morning and Night Raid was getting their final preparations made. After General Kleinwald introduced Najenda and Esdeath to Princess Amira; Najenda introduced the rest of Night Raid and the ninjas….

Princess Amira was a tall, bronze skinned woman in her late teens. She had her jet black hair trimmed short except for a small braid in back and had rather striking blue eyes. Amira also carried a pole axe and it was obvious she was very physically fit and knew how to fight. All in all; the Princess was quite beautiful….until she opened her big mouth. " ** _This_** ragtag group of ruffians is my escort General Kleinwald? _I think not!_ They don't even have matching dress uniforms. I am _most_ displeased."

' _Perhaps I should smack this little bitch around and knock her off of the pedestal she's constructed for herself_.' thought Esdeath with a smile as cold as liquid nitrogen.

"I have absolutely _no_ idea why you would bring one of the blind soothsayers along. Are you hoping to see the unseen?" said Amira pointing rudely at Hinata. "The soothsayers can't even defend themselves! What's she doing outside of her convent anyway?"

Hinata's byakugan eyes glinted. ' _I may have to hurt this woman, Princess or not_.'

Amira shook her head. "Two flat chested western tribals with pink hair. Are you cousins or something? What a pair of freaks!"

Both Mein and Sakura were grinding their teeth at that comment. ' ** _Must-not-kill-client!_** ' thought both rosettes as one.

The Princess inspected the rest of the group until her eyes landed on Wave. Amira looked at Wave appreciatively and said, "Well, this one is handsome enough. He will be my personal manservant and attend to me and service my needs. I assume you are trained in the erotic arts?"

Wave went completely bug eyed and blushed. Kurome stepped in between Amira and Wave leaking a mass of killing intent. The look on her face was positively psychotic and she said, "Wave-kun belongs to **_me_** Princess." The dark eyed girl thumbed Yatsufusa. "Don't cross me or you'll be a head shorter."

Amira let out a huff and was about to say something as she turned to Naruto but the blonde beat her to the punch and said, "I'm not here to be your manservant either. Our job is to protect you, not entertain you."

For her part Amira just sulked. "You weren't my first choice anyway." Naruto just shrugged.

Najenda had her hand on her forehead as if she was fighting off a migraine. She said under her breath, "This is a very bad idea General Kleinwald." ' _What a spoiled brat. I think she needs a spanking_.'

"You'll also be taking this cart of gifts for King Malik." said General Kleinwald.

An ornate cart with two white horses was bought up and the first to get a whiff of it was Sakura. Being a medic she knew _exactly_ what it was. "You're sending a cart filled with **_narcotics_** to the highest ranking King of the Southern Tribes?!"

"We use them in our religious ceremonies peon." said Amira. "Yours is not to question why." Amira motioned to Hinata. "Explain this to them soothsayer. I know you are educated even if you cannot fight because you can't see with your white eyes."

Hinata growled out, "I am _not_ a soothsayer nor am I blind. Your attitude towards my comrades and I is less than endearing."

"Whatever soothsayer; I'll let you live with your delusions." said Amira. "What a foolish lot. If this is your best then the Revolutionary Army is on its last legs General Kleinwald."

' ** _Urge to kill; rising_**.' thought all of Night Raid.

General Kleinwald was sweating at the oppressive dark aura that Night Raid was blanketing the area with. ' _Princess Amira is either impossibly brave or too stupid to realize she is playing with fire!_ ' He turned to Najenda and said, "I wish you the best of luck General Najenda. Escort the Princess and her precious cargo to her destination and come back safely."

Najenda saluted and turned to her team. "Let's get the last things packed up. This is going to be a long trip and I want everyone in top form. We set out in an hour."

….

 **Southern Regions**

Tamashi Kaede and her twin Daisuke were about halfway to Kakachichi Lake from the Imperial Capitol and stopped to have a meal. "Nee-chan, do you think our cousin Taiki-sama is still alive?" ask Daisuke. " _The Slayer of Mōryō_ is monstrously strong."

"Uzumaki-sama is also a peaceful man from what I understand." said Kaede between bites of her meal. "If Taiki-sama's negotiations were successful then Toru-sama wants to open negotiations with the Revolutionary Army and get away from the Commonwealth."

Daisuke's eyes got huge. "How do you know this Kaede nee?"

"It's all in a sealed scroll for Taiki-sama." explained Kaede. "….And I didn't tell you because you are a hopeless blabbermouth."

"So cruel Nee-chan." moped Daisuke.

"You and I are the only ones that know about it aside of Toru-sama himself, Daisuke." said the older sister.

"What about Tomiki-sama?" asked Daisuke.

"Toru-sama says he doesn't need to know at this point." said Kaede. "Honest has Tomiki-sama convinced that the Commonwealth is the only group our clan should serve. He also has a lot of support."

Daisuke asked concerned, "What if it causes a rift in the clan?"

"I don't know if that will happen but I support Toru-sama completely." said Kaede with a tone of finality. "We could not have asked for a better Uncle."

Daisuke just nodded and said, "I hope it doesn't come to that."

Kaede sighed. "As do I little brother…."

….

 **Night Raid's Temporary Quarters**

"So we're taking a spoiled princess and a cart load of drugs south." said Leone. "Gee; I feel like a real life drug smuggler!"

"Leone; that would appeal only to you." said Mein in a flat tone.

Chelsea chuckled. "Eh, who knows? It could be kind of fun."

Akame said dourly, "Not in the area we are headed to. Between the lay of the land and hostile natives it won't be fun at all."

Akame-chan is right." said Hinata in agreement. "With the jungle and swamp terrain in some areas that cart is going to be nothing but a huge hindrance and a target. We should seal everything up in scrolls and carry them that way instead."

"We'll probably end up doing just that." said Najenda. "Once the pampered princess realizes the cart is a liability then I'll let you ninjas work your magic."

"I have to say this is truly a huge misappropriation of forces." said Esdeath. "Kleinwald left before I became a General but he was known to have a level head strategically."

Najenda shook her head. "I believe this is his staff's doing. Several of them are terrified of you Esdeath. Despite the fact you've proven to be a valuable ally your reputation precedes you."

"I'd think they'd be happy to have Esdeath-chan on their side." said Naruto.

Akame said, "Naruto-kun, they also fear Night Raid in general. We are probably the most powerful group the Revolutionary Army has with our Teigus. They prefer to keep us at arm's length. I'm still referred to as ' _The Empire's most deadly Assassin_ ' and I haven't been with the Empire in years."

"Some reputations are kind of hard to lose Naruto." said Sakura. "The Tamashi basically gave up because you are ' _The Slayer of Mōryō'_ remember?"

"This is going to be a long trip." said Wave in a harried voice. "I can't believe she actually wanted me to _serve her needs_."

"Don't worry Wave-kun. I'll keep you safe." said Kurome. "It was a pretty vile thing of her to say though."

"I was more pissed she was badmouthing the Western Tribes." growled Mein. "We're trying to **_end_** that kind of discrimination!"

Chelsea said, "I've met her type before among the nobility. We're just going to have to put up with her childish antics….or we'll make sure there isn't a body left to be found…."

"That's the best solution to our problem yet!" said Mein in agreement.

"Oh boy…." groaned Najenda. ' _This mob isn't going to be happy without an explanation. I don't blame them really_.' "Gather around everybody. The truth of the matter is General Kleinwald is still trying to set up house in the aftermath of the series of assassinations the Tamashi Ninjas did. With the loss of several important higher ups they don't want a bunch of wildcards running around. Unfortunately for us; Night Raid by definition is nothing _but_ a bunch of wildcards. Several members of the new General Staff fear us –particularly Esdeath. The old General staff which included General Kleinwald had no problems with any of us or they wouldn't have issued the orders to retrieve Esdeath to begin with."

Seeing everyone was on the same page, Najenda added, "The shake up here at Revolutionary High Command puts us at a temporary disadvantage. Luckily both the Empire and the Commonwealth are locked in battle with each other so there will be time for the Revolutionary Army to recover from this blow. The best thing we can do right now is do this bit of dirty work and stay out of sight and out of mind until the dust settles. General Kleinwald is competent so let's do our job while he does his."

Esdeath added, "The hardest part is going to be keeping a low profile for this group. Our battles often change landscapes so we want to avoid drawing too much attention to ourselves. Keeping _our_ heads low shouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately protecting this brat of a princess is a must so we'll have to do our best to keep her quiet too. I'm under the impression she wants a parade led by a marching band to announce her presence so we need to impress the concept of stealth and subtlety on her so we don't end up drawn into a major battle."

Leone piped up. "We, we're going to hell in a bucket so we might as well enjoy the ride."

Everyone just sweat dropped at her enthusiasm….

….

 **Imperial Capitol, The Imperial Palace**

The Emperor was having a meeting with his advisors including General Chevic and Admiral Otto. "The lines have stabilized and we are fortifying our southern gains as we speak your Highness." said General Chevic. "Admiral Otto and the Navy have been invaluable. Their big naval guns have kept the enemy at bay whenever our ground forces need support."

"That is good news." agreed Emperor Makoto. "What of this issue with refugees coming from the Commonwealth controlled areas?"

"It was a big surprise." said one of the advisors. "Since Honest doubled the taxes and started mass conscriptions many families have taken it upon themselves to flee."

"The situation actually has been a welcome boost to the economy in the southern areas." said another advisor. "By settling the refugees down there in the largely uninhabited south and the war generating work for the people they actually are getting gainful employment and helping us without having to fight."

Another advisor asked, "What about our armies on the frontier? Surely we could reinforce our armies by siphoning of some of their troops."

The young Emperor said, "Those armies are needed to keep the peace on the frontier. We have enough issues without outside forces getting involved. Speaking of outside forces; what is our latest intelligence on the Revolutionary Army?"

Chevic said, "They seem to be content to hold their grounds. I don't know why but they seemed to have troubles among their chain of command. It would be in our best interest to leave them well enough alone."

Makoto quietly thought to himself, ' _Perhaps we should consider opening diplomatic talks with them_ ….'

….

LONG POSTSCRIPT:

**This was the tribal group Esdeath brutally put down in chapter 16 of the Akame ga Kill manga. Najenda was also present but horrified by Esdeath's brutality. She still has to deal with guilt by association though.

Okay, a couple of notes; In the manga they gave Honest quite the little power up having him able to face off **_bare handed_** with Leone in her Lionelle form. I'm _really_ not too sure I'm going to follow that pattern. In this story he's a bloated crook who isn't physically fit at all. (Not to mention he's badly injured and addicted to pain pills). He also has a Teigu in his crown called the Erastone which destroys other Teigu. (It was a ring in the anime). I'll probably roll with that but again I'm not 100% sure. I was rather disappointed in the manga because I was hoping they would take a different course than the anime Teigu wise. On the other hand; the Erastone **_does_** fit Honest's underhanded style.

Speaking of the anime, the manga has also given a giant mecha as a 'final boss' Teigu for Emperor Makoto. Again I was hoping for something different in the manga. Maybe I'm just biased. Anyway, since a giant battle between the mecha and Kyubi would be _really_ , **_really_** predictable I'm planning on something different or not having the mecha come into play at all. Emperor Makoto doesn't seem like the sort to unleash such a weapon of mass destruction without Honest pulling the strings anyway.

Next chapter we'll go south of the border for an old fashioned adventure on the road with Night Raid. Will they deliver the angelic Princess Amira safely to her loving Father with the cartload of religious goods or will they leave the brat's body in a ditch somewhere and sell of the drugs to reap the profits? See you next time. Blue out. 8/14/16


	20. Chapter 20

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

 _Well, I'm finally writing again after recovering from eye surgery._ _ **NOT FUN**_ _. At any rate, the chapters will be slow for a while as my vision in my left eye fully returns. That being said, I have a couple of one shots in the works. I posted my first full RWBY story and I have a Naruto/Star Trek crossover (Vulcan! Naruto believe it or not) in the works for anyone interested in that stuff. This chapter we are mainly focusing on Night Raid's adventures in the Southern Tribes' Territory. I'm estimating this story arc will be three or four chapters long. Here is chapter 20. Enjoy!_

Last time:

 _"…_ _.What of this issue with refugees coming from the Commonwealth controlled areas?"_

 _"_ _It was a big surprise." said one of the advisors. "Since Honest doubled the taxes and started mass conscriptions many families have taken it upon themselves to flee."_

 _"_ _The situation actually has been a welcome boost to the economy in the southern areas." said another advisor. "By settling the refugees down there in the largely uninhabited south and the war generating work for the people they actually are getting gainful employment and helping us without having to fight."_

 _Another advisor asked, "What about our armies on the frontier? Surely we could reinforce our armies by siphoning of some of their troops."_

 _The young Emperor said, "Those armies are needed to keep the peace on the frontier. We have enough issues without outside forces getting involved. Speaking of outside forces; what is our latest intelligence on the Revolutionary Army?"_

 _Chevic said, "They seem to be content to hold their grounds. I don't know why but they seemed to have troubles among their chain of command. It would be in our best interest to leave them well enough alone."_

 _Makoto quietly thought to himself, '_ _Perhaps we should consider opening diplomatic talks with them…._ '

Chapter 20

 **Imperial Continent, Southern Tribal Lands**

"The moon is full and the sky is black." said Najenda. "This is a perfect place to get ambushed. Everyone be on guard." Night Raid was creeping along at a slow pace. As they had predicted; the ' _gift_ ' cart of narcotics simply was a hindrance. The trails were narrow and the area was swampy so they had to slow to a crawl to make sure the cart didn't slip into the mud or turn over. The tropical climate and animal noises they were not familiar with had the entire group on edge.

There was a splashing noise in the swamp nearby. "Was that an alligator again or something else?" asked Leone. She had her teigu Lionelle activated to enhance her senses.

Hinata activated her byakugan and said, " _Everybody down!_ " Several arrows flew over everyone's heads as they hit the dirt. The noise of the arrows zipping through the air in the still of the night was all that was heard for a few minutes.

Najenda watched carefully as natives with longbows bombarded the group. This had been the third ambush of their first day in the southern tribal lands. The natives had been unsuccessful during the day and chose to attack at night instead. Mein lay on her stomach and started picking off the attackers with her teigu Dreyse. The situation quickly escalated once the southern tribals realized they'd be discovered. They quickly changed positions in the darkness to renew their attack. Esdeath shot a smattering of ice shards and took out two natives in an instant.

Both Akame and Kurome slipped out to cut down the enemy in the darkness. Wave was stuck protecting Princes Amira with Grand Chariot. Hinata watched carefully and directed the others through the darkness to their hidden enemies. An hour later, Night Raid was exhausted but victorious. Nearly forty southern tribals were dead in the swamps and thickets surrounding Night Raid's camp around the horse drawn cart. The two horses were casualties of the poison arrow attack however. The natives carefully avoided shooting the horses in the daylight due to their value but the crossfire in the darkness resulted in the deaths of the two animals.

"Well, that does it." said Naruto. "We're abandoning this cart. All the damn thing did was paint a huge target on our backs anyway. It's painted _white_ for god's sake!"

"Don't forget the shiny gold trim." growled Chelsea. "We've been attacked three times today already because of this damn thing. I say we burn it and make tracks."

Princess Amira looked scandalized in the low light. "These are for religious ceremonies. We can't just burn them!"

"Actually we can." said Esdeath. "Unless you plan to pull the cart yourself Princess."

Sakura considered sealing the drugs up in scrolls but decided it wasn't worth the hassle in the darkness. "We don't have time on our side. I'm with Chelsea. Let's burn it and run. It will draw attention and we can escape."

….

Twenty minutes later the cartload of highly flammable drugs was burning merrily as Night Raid escaped in the darkness at a full run.

All Princess Amira was able to retrieve was a small bag and some sort of ceremonial pipe before Naruto lit the cart up with a dragon fire jutsu. As the group dashed through the night they tried to remain as stealthy as possible. Night Raid kept moving until daybreak when the group hid out and set up camp in a mangrove of trees along a small river.

Naruto, Hinata and Sakura spread wire traps around the area to make sure no one could sneak up on the group while they were sleeping. ' _Not exactly the most romantic place to stop but at least it is safe_.' thought Esdeath irritably to herself. ' _With all of the wildlife prowling around outside this mangrove is fairly defensible_.' She saw Naruto's shadow clones stationed around the perimeter of the trees. Everyone else was asleep or soon would be. She smiled softly. ' _Naruto-kun will keep us safe_ ….'

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

The Elite Seven were up early in the morning practicing. In particular, Taeko was practicing her wind techniques with her shingu Kiriichi Monji as the other girls observed. " _Zephyr!_ " she cried. Her blade split the air so fast that the others couldn't follow it.

"Wow Taeko! You are getting faster every day!" said Pony enthusiastically. ' _She's almost as fast as Akame is….Where are you now Akame-chan? I hope you are safe…._ '

Taeko wiped the sweat off of her brow and smiled. "I still have a long way to go before I'm in top form. This Kiriichi Monji….It's a superb blade."

"It seems to suit you well." said Tsukushi. ' _I wonder where Akame-chan is….It seems strange to me seeing Taeko wielding your sword_.'

Cornelia asked, "How does it compare to the blade you had?" ' _The compulsion to obey the Commandant is getting less and less every day. Soon we'll be able to make a move_.'

Taeko spun the Kiriichi Monji before she neatly sheathed it. "It's slightly heavier than the blade the Oarburghs granted me. Lengthwise it's very similar though. It feels right in my hands." Then she added, "It's a shame I can't use it for sparring but it leaves cuts that will never heal you know."

"No kidding." said Pony. "We've never been able to use our shingus in a real spar for fear of killing each other by accident."

Tsukushi sighed. "Since I have a gun type my sparring targets are the shooting range. It's kind of boring." ' _How long will it be before Chief sets things up so we can escape?_ '

….

Najasho and Green were training by a wall near the outside of their training grounds. They were waiting for Guy to return from his reconnaissance mission underground while using his shingu Rare Suit. ' _Every day we map more and more of the area thanks to Guy's suit._ ' thought Najasho. ' _It's time consuming but we are getting closer and closer to escape from this place_.'

Green soon felt a slight rumbling underground and said, "I guess Guy is back from playing mole again."

Guy's head popped up out of the earth and he said, "Guess who's back?" with a smile.

"Any luck shrimp?" asked Najasho.

Guy nodded and said, "Really good luck; I think I found a way out."

Green got out the map they were making and said, "Tell me what to draw Guy."

The three young men were soon busily expanding on their map….and path to freedom….

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands**

Night Raid slept peacefully in the mangrove until the afternoon rolled around. They were awakened by the sounds of a pair of colossal roars that echoed around the area. Amira's teeth were chattering. "Wh-what kind of danger beast makes that kind of noise?" she whispered. The Princess was gripping on to her pole axe as if her life depended on it.

Najenda opened her one eye and said, "Calm down Princess."

"Calm down?!" whispered Amira loudly. "How can I calm down when these roaring beasts are practically right on top of us?!"

Mein said grumpily, "That's Akame and Kurome's stomachs growling. They are hungry."

Kurome woke up as her stomach growled again. "Mmmm….What's for breakfast?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes lazily. She'd been cuddled up with Wave and her movements woke him up too.

Akame woke at the same time and patted her roaring stomach. "Time to hunt down a meal." said the petite red eyed assassin.

The Princess stared dumbfounded as the two sisters and everyone else around them acted as if the massive rumbling and growling was a normal thing….

….

Night Raid fished and ate carefully in quick order. Afterwards they made preparations to travel again in the evening. Since it was the summer season's peak there was still plenty of daylight. The group kept heading south avoiding well traveled trails until they came to a large river valley. This was the Du Sang River, named for its blood red color. It had this color because of the predominance of red clay in the area but given it was the largest and most important river in the southern lands it was known as ' _The River of Lifeblood_ ' to most southern tribes. Despite its muddy appearance the river was safe to drink from as well.

Najenda commented to Esdeath, "The river you froze was a tributary to this one up north."

Esdeath nodded. "Up there the water isn't red either –at least not from the soil." she added with a sadistic smile.

Najenda just cringed at the memories of the Ban Tribe being ruthlessly slaughtered….

"If we take the Du Sang River south it will lead directly to my kingdom." said Princess Amira pompously. "We can stop at the trading village of Zlatan. You will need to acquire a boat for me of course."

Akame and the others were looking over the map of the area. "There are two tribes' territories in between us and your kingdom Princess Amira." said the red eyed assassin. "According to our intelligence on the area they are both hostile to King Malik and your Kingdom. Taking the river to Zlatan directly could get you killed."

Mein looked over the map of the winding river. "There are tons of places to mount an ambush from the riverbanks. As a sniper I can tell you this is a hornet's nest. The only way I could see to get by would be to ride the rapids on the far side."

"That's way too dangerous." said Chelsea. "I am not too keen on drowning….not to mention the alligators and whatnot…."

"Hinata-chan, can you see any others downstream?" asked Naruto.

Amira huffed. "Must _all_ of you keep up the pretext that the soothsayer is not blind? This is ridiculous."

Hinata growled and said, "Let me climb that tree and look."

"That's an oil tree blind girl." said Amira haughtily. "They are far too slick to climb." Then the Princess added sarcastically, "Oh yes, you can't _see_ to know that can you?"

Hinata smiled and said, "That is no issue for a kunoichi." She then walked vertically up the tree to have a look around.

Amira gawked at Hinata in disbelief and asked, "W-what is a kunoichi? That's impossible…."

"A kunoichi is a female shinobi like Hinata and myself." explained Sakura. "And Hinata can see fine whether you believe it or not."

The Princess started to tremble as her blue eyes widened in fear. " ** _Sh-sh-sh-SHINOBI? NO!_** " Then she started backing away slowly before she completely lost her composure. Amira grabbed her pole axe, shrieked and then jumped in the river swimming straight towards the rapids on the far side as fast as she could.

" _What the hell?_ " asked Leone in shock. "Why did she just jump in a river full of predators? Is she nuts?"

"Don't just stand there!" thundered Esdeath. "We have to catch the stupid girl before she gets herself killed!"

Naruto said, "Don't worry. I'm on it." he quickly hopped onto the water and ran across it after the fleeing Princess.

Sakura jumped down after Naruto at shot across the river's surface as well. Then she heard Hinata yell, "Jump to your left!"

Both Naruto and Sakura leapt clear as a hail of arrows landed where they'd been mere seconds ago. Naruto yelled, "Water encampment wall!" as the jutsu made a protective barrier for both ninjas.

Hinata body flickered down to the ground and grabbed the surprised Mein before body flickering both of them to the top of the oil tree. "There are a dozen bowmen on the bank south of us Mein."

Following where Hinata was pointing, Mein got a predatory smile on her face as she peered through the scope on Dreyse. "They'll soon be dead." said the pink haired sniper. In the ensuing chaos Hinata watched as Princess Amira managed to keep herself alive during all the shooting only to quickly ride the rapids away from Night Raid's position on the opposite side of the river….

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Lord Protector Honest was looking over his assets and popped a few more pain pills. After washing them down with whiskey he looked at the map of the Imperial Capital that showed the lines had stabilized for the time being. ' _That damned Emperor Makoto is slowly but surely expanding his influence. He has two-thirds of the Capitol firmly in his grasp. Those people fleeing the Commonwealth into Imperial territory are costing me both manpower and money and the Emperor doesn't have to lift a finger to get them. Field Marshal Spiel keeps demanding more and more men and there aren't any to be found. There_ _ **must**_ _be a resource I can exploit somewhere_.' He looked at the map of the frontier and saw the various Imperial Armies that might be under the command of Generals sympathetic to the Commonwealth.

"General Heimer's forces could be very useful to my cause and he and Spiel have worked together well in the past." thought Honest aloud. "What bait could I use to lure Heimer over to my side? He was always easy to buy off but getting him to throw his forces in with the Commonwealth will take something _extra_ sweet." The bloated politician pondered a few minutes and shifted painfully in his wheelchair. ' _Heimer always was covetous of the Teigu and Shingu. We don't have that many but I'm sure that would whet his appetite. Which one? Incursio comes to mind….I have no one capable of using it anyway_ ….'

While the Lord Protector plotted away in his headquarters; all was not well with his armies. Several of his Generals were beginning to regret throwing in their lot with the Commonwealth. Returning to the Empire was a losing proposition because they would be considered deserters at best and traitors to the Crown at worst. That only left the Revolutionary Army….It was a difficult choice….

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands**

Night Raid quickly found themselves outnumbered by their opponents and set about wiping out their enemies. Naruto and Sakura withdrew back to where the others were and Chelsea used her teigu Gaia Foundation to transform into a mega owl to trail the wayward Princess downstream from the air (assuming Amira was still alive). Chelsea was to meet them at Zlatan Village. Their opponents quickly concealed themselves amongst the dense foliage once they realized they were outranged by Dryse. Soon a tense silence fell on the area as Mein ran out of visible targets….

"Looks like they are setting up for a night skirmish." said Najenda. "We can't cross the river without coming under a hail of fire."

"Let's head out in pairs and ambush them then." said Esdeath. "There is no reason to give the enemy the advantage by staying in the same spot."

Najenda quickly looked over the lay of the land. Across the river were the rapids that led to a smaller, shallower river. The rest of the Du Sang meandered back and forth between the peninsulas that jutted out into the river south of them. The majority of the southern tribals they were facing were most likely hugging the thick foliage on moving north towards Night Raid's current position. "Alright, everyone divide up into twos and fan out. Let's fade back into the jungle and head south towards that peninsula that's in our way. "We're going to be up all night playing cat and mouse so keep alert and keep alive. By morning I want all the opposition eliminated so we can go after the Princess without interference."

After a short discussion it was decided that Hinata and Esdeath should stick together. Hinata could see far better than the others and could direct heavy ice barrages from Esdeath. Their team was much like mobile artillery.

Kurome and Wave immediately teamed up as did Najenda and Sakura. Both pairs quickly faded into the dense jungle vegetation to ambush targets of opportunity.

Much to Akame's delight she was teamed up with Naruto and they quickly went due south to seek and destroy. Leone and Mein also set out in a southern direction to attack the enemy directly.

' _I have two ambush teams, two assault teams and (more or less) a mobile artillery team_.' thought Najenda. ' _May as well sit tight until the first two teams make contact_.' She looked over and saw Sakura unpack a scroll with about forty each of kunai and shuriken. "Ummm….Isn't that a bit overkill Sakura?"

The pinkette answered, "There is no such thing as overkill as long as it isn't a hindrance to your mobility. I learned that the hard way during the war….On an unconnected note; I'm going to pummel that stupid Princess when we catch her."

Najenda just smiled and nodded in agreement….

….

Akame was energized. ' _Time to show Naruto-kun what I can really do_.' Her red eyes glittered with excitement until she heard a twig snap ahead of them. Her eyes quickly turned cold as death and she thumbed the hilt of the Murasame in anticipation of the upcoming combat.

Naruto was at ready with a kunai in each hand. He was admiring his youngest girlfriend. ' _Akame-chan moves so much like a ninja. Hinata-chan is right. If we could teach her to control her chakra it would be a huge asset for her_.'

….

Mein was moving cautiously behind Leone with Dreyse at ready. Leone whispered, "I don't smell them yet but keep your guard up. Remember we have to kill as many as Akame or we'll look bad."

The pink haired sniper sweat dropped. "I don't think this is a contest Leone. Still, I've got your back. This whole area will be drenched with blood by the time we're through."

"That's the spirit!" whispered Leone with a feral smile.

….

Hinata and Esdeath were lying low near the shore where Hinata could monitor the enemy. "Naruto-kun and Akame-chan will make contact within a minute." she said to Esdeath. "Send and ice shard barrage around the area of that red fern Esdeath-chan."

Esdeath smiled wickedly and unleashed a salvo of ice spikes. "Here we go!" she said.

….

A group of southern tribesmen were moving towards Akame and Naruto's position though they hadn't spotted the ninja or the assassin yet. Suddenly a hail of razor sharp ice blades flew into the side of their group and caught them totally by surprise. The screams of the injured and dying echoed across the forest and within a second Akame was among them taking lives with uncanny precision. Naruto would have simply admired Akame as she moved with dazzling speed and agility but he saw a second group rushing in "Wind scythe jutsu!" he said as he unleashed a storm of wind blades from his kunai. The nearly invisible blades cut both trees and men to pieces and none of the tribesmen realized what was happening before it was too late….

A third group of natives was pushing forward only to hear the screams of their comrades behind them from the ice attack. Their leader motioned for his people to turn back and investigate when they heard the sound of Naruto's wind scythe jutsu and the yells of horror as many more were cut down. The group was bewildered. "Alright; we're going to have to send a couple of scouts back. We may be dealing with a danger beast back ther-"

That's when his head exploded courtesy of Dreyse. His followers stared dumbfounded as Mein switched Dreyse over to its needle gun form and started peppering them with automatic fire. The few that survived the shock assault from Mein soon had their hands full because Leone landed among them. It was bloody, short and violent. Once again an eerie silence settled on the area….

….

Kurome and Wave were camouflaged by thick vegetation and heard the noise down south of them from the battles taking place. Kurome was fingering Yatsufusa eagerly and whispered to her lover, "Sounds like nee-chan has started the party without us. I guess we should have taken a seek and destroy assignment instead of an ambush one."

Wave had his sword for Grand Chariot at ready. "I don't think we have to worry Kurome-chan. From what Hinata said earlier there are at least a dozen groups in this area."

"Sorry Wave-kun, I'm just eager for action." said the dark eyed assassin.

An hour later a group of southern tribesmen who managed to avoid Akame and Leone's teams were reconnoitering the area where Kurome and Wave were hiding. The sun had set to the point the horizon was red and the stars were visible. The nearly full moon was rising and red from the reflections of the sun. The thick and humid night made everyone's bodies feel heavy. Kurome's dark eyes glinted in the twilight from her perch on a tree branch. ' _A hunter's moon; how appropriate_.' She thought as she drew the Yatsufusa in silence. She whispered, "March of the Dead: Yatsufusa." Kurome them leapt from her perch and descended to the jungle floor like a death wind….

Carnage ensued as Kurome and Wave exploded into action. A few of their unsuspecting prey managed to draw their weapons but they weren't able to keep up with Kurome's sheer speed or Wave's raw power. Minutes later the battle was over and the pungent smell of blood filled the air. Kurome's eyes danced seeing Wave was unhurt as she was. She held out her hand to Wave and the pair vanished into the jungle to set up another ambush….

….

Hinata and Esdeath spent most of the night bombarding enemy positions from long range with relative impunity. Only one group reached them and Hinata's juken and Esdeath's rapier made short work of them. "I expected Sakura and Najenda to catch that group." said Hinata as the last enemy fell dead at her feet. His brain was turned to liquid by a fearsome juken strike between the eyes.

Esdeath chuckled. "Well, it was getting boring killing them at long range anyway. I personally needed some stress relief."

Hinata sweat dropped at Esdeath's idea of ' _stress relief_.' Reactivating her byakugan Hinata said, "Looks like Sakura is busy with another group." They felt the earth shake from Sakura striking the earth. "I doubt they'll need any help though."

….

Najenda and Sakura were in the thick of their enemies. Sakura knocked all of their opponents to the ground with and earth shattering punch to the ground. After that she body flickered to the opposite side of the tribesmen and pincered them between Najenda and herself.

Najenda's fist fired forward and took the head of one of their foes as he recovered from the earthquake Sakura caused. Several more turned to Najenda's surprise attack only to end up with kunais in their backs courtesy of Sakura. Ten minutes later the tribals were dead and Najenda and Sakura vanished again.

The still of the night was left to the sounds of the animals once again….

….

 **Revolutionary Army Headquarters**

In the early morning Tamashi Keade and her brother Daisuke were observing Kakachichi Lake Village from a distance hoping to find signs of their clan members. Kaede shook her head. "It seems we have no choice but to infiltrate the Revolutionary Army Headquarters and look for our kin Daisuke."

"Do you really think they are alive nee-chan?" asked Daisuke.

Toru-sama believes so Daisuke." said Kaede. "That is good enough for me."

The twins crept into the very well guarded base via body flicker and started their mission: Find their cousin Taiki-sama and the fate of the Tamashi Clan in the south….

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Zlatan Village**

The village of Zlatan was on the very edge of King Malik's territory and was known as a safe haven for travelers. It was at a crossroads between the river valley and roads and many neighboring tribes frequented there because it was a major trading post. Night Raid arrived there and showed their papers indicating they were guests of King Malik. They were warmly received by the villagers as a result. Fighting was very much prohibited in Zlatan but after their all night battles in the jungle it suited everyone in Night Raid just fine. Najenda made arrangements to stay at a traveler's inn and everyone settled in to relax for a while.

Chelsea returned later that morning with news of Princess Amira. "Princess Bimbo grabbed on to a log in the river and damn near rode it to the sea. She was exhausted and passed out. A group of locals found her before I could intervene. They were well armed so I stayed at a distance and watched. They took her to a village hidden at the base of a mountain with some sort of old monument on top. If she's still alive we need to track her from there. It's about 80 miles south of here by air."

Najenda sighed and watched as Chelsea drew a map of the area she'd seen. "What a pain in the ass." grumbled the one eyed General.

….

Meanwhile, Mein and Sakura were out among the villagers trying to figure out why Princess Amira had run away as she did. They were directed to one of the village elders name Azal when they mentioned the word **_shinobi_**.

The two rosettes soon found the old elder's house. There was a graying but very physically fit man relaxing in the shade of his porch. He spoke to them in greetings, "Well hello there ladies, it's quite unusual to see people of the western tribes down here."

The kunoichi spoke up. "Hello sir, I am Sakura and this is my friend Mein. Might you be Azal?"

"I am." said the now named Azal. "What would bring you to my door on this fine day?"

Mein said, "A travelling companion of ours from the south here heard a word and ran away from the rest of our group. We are trying to find her but we wondered why she was so afraid. When we asked to people here in Zlatan about it they became uncomfortable and directed us to you sir."

Azal raised a bushy eyebrow and said, "So what is this word?"

" ** _Shinobi_**." said Sakura and Mein as one.

Azal looked spooked for a moment and then smiled softly. "I see why your friend ran then. Come inside and we will talk about it."

Both girls looked puzzled and Azal said, "It's a long story and the superstitious don't speak of it in public."

….

Mein and Sakura were soon sitting with Azal at his kitchen table. They were drinking tea together. Azal explained, "The Shinobi were devils that existed in ancient times and are the most dangerous creatures to have ever lived on the continent. Even danger beasts flee where they walk. Some say they were once men but no one knows. It was said they came from another continent or world and it took all the firepower that the Thousand Year Empire could bring to bear just to drive them off. After that the Shinobi migrated south and were known as assassins. They can appear as anybody, walk on walls without climbing and can shrink to the size of insects to go through keyholes to kill those within a room. It doesn't surprise me that someone superstitious would panic at the mere mention of the word."

"So where are these Shinobi now?" asked Sakura curiously. "Did something happen to them?"

Azal pulled out an old book with a map of the Imperial Continent. He pointed to the southernmost end of the Southern Tribe's territories and said, "There is an ancient temple called Jug Hram on a mountain that overlooks the sea to the south of our continent. It is about as far south as you can go. It's about a hundred miles or so from here on foot. I saw it once from a distance and it chilled me to the bone. It looks like it was a great place of dwelling once but now it is a place of death."

The elder continued. "Supposedly that is where the Shinobi lived. From what I was told; it was built by a deeply religious sect that preferred a monastic and peaceful way of life. Those original inhabitants of the great temple Jug Hram died at the hands of the Shinobi and the spirits of the religious group were enslaved and forced to act as guardians for the Shinobi. No one goes there to this day. The vile sorcery that the Shinobi cast upon that place is still so powerful that entire expeditions sent there died to the last man if they dared to enter. They simply vanish without a trace."

Mein asked, "Do these Shinobi even exist now?"

"No one knows. The temple of Jug Hram is mostly overgrown by vegetation and as recently as a hundred years ago a small army died trying to take that place to search for treasure. I would not go there my friends. Those who venture into Jug Hram never come back."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, another chapter in the books. Everyone has asked "Whatever happened to Incursio?" No we know it ended up in Honest's hands so theoretically it could be put into play by the Commonwealth provided they can find someone that can actually _use_ the beast. Meanwhile, Night Raid has been bogged down in jungle warfare and Princess Amira ran like a chicken with its head cut off at the mere mention of the word _Shinobi_. What does that portend? See you next time. Blue out. 10/17/16


	21. Chapter 21

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Well, better late than never. I still am out a computer at home so I'm still doing my writing at work. Here is chapter 21. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _…_ _.Mein and Sakura were soon sitting with Azal at his kitchen table. They were drinking tea together. Azal explained, "The Shinobi were devils that existed in ancient times and are the most dangerous creatures to have ever lived on the continent. Even danger beasts flee where they walk. Some say they were once men but no one knows. It was said they came from another continent or world and it took all the firepower that the Thousand Year Empire could bring to bear just to drive them off. After that the Shinobi migrated south and were known as assassins. They can appear as anybody, walk on walls without climbing and can shrink to the size of insects to go through keyholes to kill those within a room. It doesn't surprise me that someone superstitious would panic at the mere mention of the word."_

 _"_ _So where are these Shinobi now?" asked Sakura curiously. "Did something happen to them?"_

 _Azal pulled out an old book with a map of the Imperial Continent. He pointed to the southernmost end of the Southern Tribe's territories and said, "There is an ancient temple called Jug Hram on a mountain that overlooks the sea to the south of our continent. It is about as far south as you can go. It's about a hundred miles or so from here on foot. I saw it once from a distance and it chilled me to the bone. It looks like it was a great place of dwelling once but now it is a place of death."_

 _The elder continued. "Supposedly that is where the Shinobi lived. From what I was told; it was built by a deeply religious sect that preferred a monastic and peaceful way of life. Those original inhabitants of the great temple Jug Hram died at the hands of the Shinobi and the spirits of the religious group were enslaved and forced to act as guardians for the Shinobi. No one goes there to this day. The vile sorcery that the Shinobi cast upon that place is still so powerful that entire expeditions sent there died to the last man if they dared to enter. They simply vanish without a trace."_

 _Mein asked, "Do these Shinobi even exist now?"_

 _"_ _No one knows. The temple of Jug Hram is mostly overgrown by vegetation and as recently as a hundred years ago a small army died trying to take that place to search for treasure. I would not go there my friends. Those who venture into Jug Hram never come back."_

 _…_ _._

Chapter 21

 **Imperial Continent, Southern Tribal Lands, the Village of Zlatan**

Akame woke up in the morning in Naruto's arms. Last night was her first night of passion and she was looking forward to many, _many_ more with her blonde lover. She was laying on her right side with her back snuggled into Naruto's chest as he spooned her lithe frame with his larger one. Akame's red eyes scanned her surroundings lethargically and she felt completely relaxed and content to lie there in Naruto's arms. The black haired beauty sighed softly as his hand unconsciously stroked her smooth stomach. ' _We did things I never even imagined doing before last night_.' thought the red eyed beauty with a soft blush. She felt Naruto's morning arousal poking her in the back and began lazily grinding her firm rear end against him. _'I'm sleepy but I want Naruto-kun again_ ….' thought Akame hungrily.

Naruto stirred and said "Akame-chan…." half asleep. He gently squeezed her left breast with his free hand.

The black haired girl said, "Naruto-kun…. _again_ …."

The blonde ninja whispered to his lover, "That's my girl."

"I love you Naruto-kun…." said the red eyed beauty.

"….And I love you my Akame-chan…." responded the blonde.

….

The rest of Night Raid was already up though Esdeath and Hinata slept in a bit with their individual clones of Naruto. Najenda sweat dropped. "So Akame decided to have her honeymoon now instead of later….I guess I can't blame the girl but we're on a mission."

Esdeath seemed quite amused. "Normally I'd reprimand my troops for insubordination but Akame was so excited last night before we all turned in."

Leone drummed her fingers and put on her best sad puppy face. "You'll share with Akame-chan but not me Hinata-chan? I'm hurt."

"You aren't strong enough to be with Naruto." said Esdeath authoritatively. "I'm not sharing with you."

Hinata just shrugged and said with a giggle, "Looks like you're outvoted Leone."

….Leone just face planted on the table.

Najenda lit up a cigarette and said, "Would someone _please_ go shake Naruto and Akame out of bed?"

Kurome thought back to the sheer embarrassment of Akame walking in on her with Wave back at the bunker and said in a quiet voice, "I can't do that to Akame nee-chan."

Mein shook her head. "I'm not walking in on them. Knowing Akame she has Murasame in reach and I don't want to get stabbed in the face."

Sakura sighed and said, "I'll do it. How come I always end up being the heavy with that knucklehead?"

About that time a beaming Akame and Naruto came out of their room to join the others. It was obvious they were fresh out of the showers. Akame was smiling and holding on to Naruto's hand as they walked together.

Najenda considered reprimanding Akame for being late but seeing the joy dancing in the red eyed girl's eyes made the General change her mind. ' _I don't think I've seen Akame_ _ **ever**_ _look this happy. I'll just let it slide. I'm becoming such a softy in my old age_.' "Good morning Akame; Naruto. You missed breakfast but after we plan this out you can grab an early lunch."

Akame and Kurome's stomachs promptly roared in unison and Najenda's eyebrow twitched….

….

"The place we're going to is an ancient mountain temple called Jug Hram that Chelsea saw from the air and the Village Elder Azal was kind enough to tell us about." said Najenda, "From the looks of it the people that live in that area are our _Shinobi_ we've heard about." She took out a few drawings that Mein and Sakura were able to copy from Elder Azal's books on the subject and saw the ancient temple was well fortified and built into the mountain with only a single winding road leading up to it.

"This road seems to weave up through several sheer cliff faces so travelling up it would be a real battle if there is resistance," said Chelsea seriously. "At the base of the mountain where the road ends is a village about half the size of Zlatan here. It might house seven hundred people. That is where they took Princess Amira."

"How heavily armed was the village?" asked Esdeath.

"It had a tall wooden fence made of tree trunks around it with the occasional lookout station." said the redhead as she adjusted her lollipop in her mouth. "It wasn't that heavily defended other than to keep bandits out."

"How were the locals armed?" asked Mein.

Chelsea answered, "Their weapons were similar to what we've seen so far in the southern regions. I saw longbows, spears and lacquered wooden shields. Some wore masks as well from what I could see but no heavy protective armor."

"In other words speed and agility are their main defense as well as offense." said Najenda. "Unless their resistance is fiercer than what we've already encountered then there shouldn't be anything we haven't seen before in these parts."

Esdeath snorted. "With those numbers we could take them regardless. Even if they are as vicious as the Ban Tribe was our group could crush them easily with our firepower."

Hinata said gently, "Esdeath-chan, they may not even be hostile to us. They may have taken Princess Amira in for medical treatment as unlikely as it seems."

"That would really ruin my day…." said Esdeath glumly.

….Hinata just sweat dropped.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they treated Amira well until she opened her big mouth." said Sakura.

Mein nodded in agreement. "The minute she wakes up Amira will be yelling, ' _I'm a Princess! Lick my boots you lowly peasants!'_ Let's face it, that wench could make hostile enemies out of the kindest people in the world."

"It's hard to argue with that logic." said Kurome in agreement. "She's a total bitch that expects everyone to serve her. I doubt she'll even thank us for saving her ass….assuming she doesn't panic again."

Leone smiled. "Well, we could always head home and leave her Royal Highness to her fate. I don't have a problem with that."

Akame groaned. "As detestable as Princess Amira is; it is our duty to rescue her."

Najenda knocked the ashes off the end of her cigarette. "And you wonder why I put Akame in charge instead of you Leone…."

….

 **Imperial Capital, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Najasho looked at the rest of the Elite Seven. They were all eating breakfast together and he said without preamble, "It's time to go. None of us feels the compulsion to obey the Commandant or hurt Akame any longer. We're going to sneak out nice and quiet through the tunnel that Guy made tonight after dark. We've worked this out in detail and it's time to move."

Everyone nodded as they finished their meals and Cornelia said, "Everyone pack your stuff after lights out tonight and stick with light sparring today. We want to be at full strength when we make our move. We'll meet at the guard station and eliminate them before they can sound any alarms."

"What about Daddy and the Empire?" asked Pony.

Green said, "Akame will have the answers. We know she's no traitor. We need to talk to her and see what really happened Pony."

Tsukushi nodded. "If Daddy could be here he would be Pony. Akame-chan will have our answers. We can trust her."

"That means going to the Revolutionary Army then." said Taeko. "Are all of you all right with this? I'm all in favor of it but-"

"While we were dead everything changed." said Guy sadly. "Without Pops to guide us then Akame is our best bet."

Najasho shrugged. "From the sounds of it the Empire collapsed into civil war anyway. The Empire we were raised to serve has imploded. Serving an unstable government is a bad idea. Akame will know the truth." ' _Or at least I hope she will. If Kurome is dead like the Commandant said then Akame might have snapped….The gods only know if Father is alive or not_ ….'

Tsukushi was also thinking about Akame. ' _Please be safe Akame-chan_ ….'

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, the Temple of Jug Hram**

A very scrawny, wrinkled, elderly man wearing some sort of priest's regalia was holding a gold staff with a six pointed star shaped symbol atop of it. At the tip of each star point was a gold sphere with an eye carved into it. He was practically dancing a jig as he spoke to his large, muscular disciple (?) who was kneeling at the base of the steps below him. The old man's multiple hoop earrings jangled as they gleamed in the low light along with the elder's shaven bald head. The old man bellowed in a raspy but triumphant voice:

"….The moon is in alignment! The unknown zodiac and the signs all reveal the truth. The six eyed god whose wings beat in a time only we children of his can comprehend is ready to awake. Now is the time the Old God returns; exactly when the world is not expecting it. The people are foolish and so sure of themselves. Water will burn to amuse the Old God just as the prophecy foretold. The Old God will laugh! We will watch as the cities of humanity will be swept into the bowls of hell itself! The sacrifice has arrived just as I foresaw."

The large man answered in a deep voice, "Um, no offence your holiness but we kind of missed the day you predicted by a few weeks. That and we kind of missed the full moon night before last."

The old man scoffed. "…. Meh; the Old God isn't too picky about the details. The point is the Rabbit Goddess has come and gone so the Old God now has free reign. We all saw the Eye of the Moon fail from here so nothing stands in the Old God's way. Why do you think we came to this continent to begin with centuries ago? Prepare the royal virgin sacrifice that we retrieved from the village."

The big man coughed. "I hate to break this to you your holiness but that Princess is _no_ virgin. I think she's been around the block _plenty_ of times."

"….Well, close enough. She's royalty isn't she?" asked the elderly priest.

"Shouldn't we take such a major detail into account your holiness?" asked the kneeling man in a distressed tone.

"….Do you know any _other_ Princesses that we can conveniently retrieve for the occasion?" asked the priest. "The Old God _does_ have a schedule to keep you know."

"Um, no your holiness. But-" started the younger man.

The priest said haughtily, "….I thought not. Let's proceed with the virgin sacrifice! The time for the Old God to return is nigh!"

"Don't blame me if the whole temple collapses on your head your holiness." muttered the muscular man mutinously.

The old priest asked, "….What's that? I didn't hear you quite right."

"Nothing your holiness." said the younger man. "I'll get the * _cough_ *virgin* _cough_ * sacrifice prepared for tomorrow night."

….

 **Du Sang River**

Night Raid was on the Du Sang River headed south. Riding the river rapids on a boat made of ice was an experience for everyone and for a bunch of thrill seeking assassins was actually rather fun. (Except for poor Mein that was feeling motion sickness). Kurome and Akame were up in the bow with Hinata who was on lookout duty. Hinata called back to Naruto who was propelling them by streaming a massive gust of wind chakra. "Forty five degrees to the right Naruto-kun! More rocks are coming up on our left!"

Naruto nodded and adjusted the line of thrust that kept them speeding along. Chelsea said to the others, "Now this is travel! I'm having a blast."

"Speak for yourself." groaned Mein. "I feel seasick." The pink haired sniper looked positively green.

"Here come more rapids!" called Hinata as the ice boat started skipping along.

Esdeath grinned as she reinforced the boat's ice structure. ' _I'd never have thought of traveling this way; I would have froze the river and been exhausted. This was quite an idea that Sakura devised. The ninjas are always thinking outside the box_.'

Mein promptly lost her lunch (and breakfast) over the side when they hit the next bunch of rapids. "Ugh….I'm going to die…." she croaked after she calmed down from her heaving fit.

Leone thought it was hilarious but Sakura set about using her healing chakra to calm her fellow pinkette's stomach.

It took about three hours at the speed they were barreling along at to reach the southern coast. Most of the locals couldn't make heads or tails of the strange ice boat throwing off a large wake from the speed but saw people were riding it and thought it was a spirit of some sort. As a result the superstitious hostiles didn't open fire upon it. For riding a boat made of ice it turned out to be a fairly safe trip even though it was a roller coaster ride the whole way.

….

….Night Raid's boat of ice came to a halt on a shallow bank about ten miles east of the mountain Jug Hram was on. Mein was the first out of the boat and clambered out of it to stand on land with rubbery legs. "Thank god we're on land. Damn I'm glad that's over." said the tired sniper.

Everyone else was excited to be on land as well but had fun getting there. Hinata immediately activated her byakugan and saw some natives watching them from the tree line. "There are three watching us but don't appear hostile. I think they are fishermen." said the Byakugan Princess.

"Maybe we should capture and interrogate them." said Esdeath with a vicious smile.

On a signal from Najenda; Chelsea got out of sight and quickly used Gaea Foundation to transform into a mega owl and started scouting the area. ' _Time to get to work_.' thought the redhead.

….

 **Imperial Capital, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

The Commandant was reporting his progress to Lord Protector Honest. ' _Lord Honest looks like hell today_.' thought the bald man. ' _He's popping pain pills like candy. There's no doubt in my mind that he's addicted to them_.' "Good afternoon Lord Protector; I'm here to present my latest report."

"Excellent!" Honest exclaimed unevenly, "So, how is our most promising young group of assassins coming along? I cannot wait to see the Elite Seven in action."

"I believe they are ready." said the monocle wearing man. "We need to pick an appropriate target in order to test them though. Perhaps a politician opposing you would be suitable? I realize you've been relying heavily on the Tamashi ninjas." ' _And I have no control over the Tamashi_ ….' the Commandant thought bitterly.

Honest chuckled. "The Tamashi are expensive but they have uses other than just assassins."

"They still are taking a lot of our monetary resources." said the Commandant.

"Mmmmm. They fetch a high price but their work is outstanding." said the bloated politician. "I'm in the progress of bringing them into the fold at a more affordable price anyway. It's just taking more time than I'd like. You needn't worry about a cut in funding my friend. If the Elite Seven reach our expectations then you can expect an increase for you operation."

The monocle wearing man grinned evilly. "I have no doubt that the Elites hold great promise. I have high expectations of them."

"Who knows?" asked the Lord Protector. "They may have some real surprises for us."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, the Temple of Jug Hram**

Princess Amira was ranting and raving about the poor food and her less than five star accommodations. She yelled in a shrill voice, "You people _do_ realize I'm **_Royalty_** don't you? This is intolerable! I'm the daughter of King Malik; the greatest Monarch of the Southern Tribes!"

Her two guards were in misery listening to the haughty Princess prattle on. They saw the large man who was charged with ' _preparing the virgin sacrifice_ ' coming down the hall. He said to the two guards, "Old Priest Dell is crazy in he thinks this is going to work….How is our Princess?"

The taller guard said to the large man, "Vicc, this woman is bat-shit insane. She's been demanding a good looking manservant to _serve her womanly needs_. She ain't a virgin by a long shot. Can't we just garrote her or something? My ears are starting to hurt."

"Sorry Torr." said the now named Vicc. "I'd rather be elsewhere myself. We have to wrestle her down to the baths to be anointed in oils by the handmaidens." He turned to the shorter guard and said, "You are helping too Larr."

"Rats." said the shorter guard. "Is it too late to say I'm too sick for duty?"

Vicc grinned and said, "I'm afraid so Larr. Weren't you the one that said she was beautiful?"

"That was before she woke up and started talking. God damn." groused Larr. "Is old man Dell sure she's worthy of this duty?"

"His holiness says so." said Vic with a shrug. "There's no changing his mind now. I've served him long enough to know that. I just hope this whole sacrifice doesn't make the Old God angry."

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow night." said Torr morosely.

….

Princess Amira saw Vicc open the door to her small room and said, "Have you prepared some suitable quarters for me servant?"

Vicc did his best to not roll his eyes and kneeled. "Actually we've prepared a luxurious bath with scented oils for you your Highness. It took a bit to prepare proper clothing for you. Please forgive the delay." ' _I hope she buys this line of bullshit_ ….'

Amira said haughtily, "That's more like it. You have pleased me servant. Tell me your name."

"I'm Vicc your Highness." said the big man. "Please follow me and our two escorts will join us."

Her blue eyes seemed more contented. _'At least this one knows his proper place_.' "Very well servant Vicc; lead the way to my bath. Your proper obeisance will be rewarded."

Vicc resisted the urge to face palm and took the lead. "The handmaidens will bathe you properly your Highness. Rest assured you will receive the finest of care."

"But of course." preened Amira. "It's only proper."

Vicc let out a sigh and led the way.

….

 **Du Sang River, Shoreline**

Two of the fishermen are still watching us." said Hinata. "The third is packing his things. Should we intercept him?"

"Let's capture them Najenda." said Esdeath. "It's been some time and they clearly aren't going to come to us."

Najenda nodded in agreement and Sakura said, "Come on Naruto; Hinata. Let's capture them quickly."

The three ninjas vanished in the blink of an eye….

….

Hinata and Sakura appeared behind the two fishermen watching Night Raid and rendered them unconscious with chops to their necks. Naruto went after the last one that was a little more tricky….

Naruto saw his quarry vanish as he came into an opening in the trees. The blonde ninja saw a log lying where the man had been. ' _Body switch!_ ' thought Naruto. Reaching out with his sensor abilities Naruto walked past the log and turned his back to it.

It was then the fisherman body switched with the same log and appeared directly behind Naruto with a hunter's knife poised to kill.

Naruto spun and caught the man by the throat as he appeared. Naruto focused his killing intent and said, "Nice try genin." His eyes turned red and slitted and with a burst of killing intent the man dropped his knife and passed out….

….

Night Raid had changed location in the jungle area by the time the three men started to came around. All three of them were bound with rope and vines. "Welcome back to the land of the conscious _shinobi_." said Esdeath as she saw them awaken. She pointed at the one Naruto dealt with and said, "You know the body switch. I wonder what else you know." She formed a sword made of ice and said, "Let's start with your name Bolan."

The now named Bolan jolted in shock and said, "H-how do you know my name woman?"

"I have abilities too…." said Esdeath mysteriously. "Your friends are Kirik and Oran. Of course Oran is still asleep. I wonder if he'll ever wake up." Bolan quickly looked at Oran and saw the man was bloody and badly cut up. There was no way he would survive with so many wounds.

"What did you do to him?!" asked Bolan fearfully.

Esdeath gave a bone chilling smile and said, "We asked him about the whereabouts of Princess Amira and all he seemed to know was she was at the Temple of Jug Hram. After that I just decided to have fun with him."

Bolan looked at Kirik that seemed to be in a daze from the earlier blow to the neck but otherwise was unharmed. Then the shinobi said, "Oran and Kirik aren't shinobi trained. They don't know anything. Only I am a shinobi and you messing with the shinobis is certain death for you woman. I hope you are ready to die for your trespass."

"I'm terrified." said the Ice Queen in a flat tone.

Suddenly Bolan kicked Esdeath back and sprang up. He'd used the rope escape trick. The startled general fell backwards as Bolan grabbed his dazed friend Kirik and ran. He heard Esdeath's angry shouts behind him but eventually lost her in the dense foliage. "Don't worry Kirik." whispered Bolan. "I'll get us out of here."

Kirik moaned from the head blow but nodded weakly as they went towards the Jug Hram shinobi village

….

 **Back with Esdeath** ….

The Ice Queen looked directly up the tree she ' _lost_ ' her quarry at. "Do they think they've escaped?"

Hinata looked down from the tree and said, "I'm sure _Bolan_ thinks he's successfully escaped us. Nice acting by the way."

"Hmph." growled Esdeath. "That little fool seriously thinking he could best _me_ ….It's insulting." She looked over at Oran's body and said, "You might as well get up Naruto-kun."

Oran popped out of his henge and Naruto was there. "It's up to Sakura-chan now."

The rest of Night Raid appeared in the foliage surrounding them. "I had to move to avoid that idiot Bolan tripping over me when he _escaped_." griped Mein.

….

 **With Sakura** ….

Sakura was under henge appearing as Kirik. She was sitting against a tree 'resting' from the run from Esdeath. "I'm feeling a bit better Bolan." said Sakura. "It must have been that blow to the head. Why do you think those people were after that Princess anyway? She washed up on shore alone." ' _Glad we interrogated Kirik and Oran thoroughly before they died_.' thought Sakura darkly.

"I think they are trying to stop the revival of the Old God but that's just a guess." said Bolan. "It's the only reason I could think of. They didn't look or act like King Malik's people."

"The revival of the Old God? How could that Princess…?" asked Sakura in a dazed tone.

Bolan explained, "Old High Priest Dell claims she is the virgin sacrifice we need to revive the Old God tomorrow night. Of course only us shinobi know that so don't tell anyone else."

' _If Princess Amira's a virgin then Tsunade-sama is a prohibitionist_.' "I won't tell a soul." said Sakura. "I wish I could go up to the Temple to see it." ' _Let's see if he takes the bait since civilians aren't allowed up there from what Oran said_.'

"I can't even go up to the temple without the body-flicker to bypass the traps." said Bolan. "Only middle and high shinobi know that. I only know the body switch and clone you know."

' _He's like a wet behind the ears genin if he only knows only two of the Academy Three jutsus_.' she thought. "I don't know Bolan; that stuff is too hard for me."

Bolan chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Are you rested enough? We need to report back what happened."

"What about Oran?" asked Sakura. "We left him behind."

"Oran's gone." said Bolan somberly. "We'll grieve for him later. Let's head back to the Village."

….

 **Jug Hram Village**

As Sakura entered the Jug Hram Village she noticed two things. First was the occasional lookout post that seemed to be manned by archers and the second was shinobi wore armbands with a six pointed star symbol. The equivalents of genins wore blue; chuninin wore red and jonins wore green. She and Bolan were talking to a high shinobi named Garr and she hoped that he didn't detect her henge. Garr said, "Oran died for the Village. I know he gave away nothing of importance to our people. He was a brave soul and will be honored."

Sakura looked down in an effort to look 'pained' as Kirik would. ' _Oran and Kirik both broke like frightened children before Esdeath. Theytold us everything they knew before they died_.'

The high shinobi patted Sakura's shoulder and said, "Take a walk around the Village and think of better times Kirik. I'll make the announcement tonight and we'll toast Oran's bravery."

Sakura nodded and said, "Thank you. I think I'll take a walk alone. I'll see you later Bolan."

Bolan nodded and said. "Just stay inside the Village walls where it's safe. I know you tend to wander."

"I'll do that." said Sakura as she meandered away. ' _Now for some serious reconnaissance. If Kirik was known for wandering then so much the better_.'

Bolan said, "It seems so odd seeing Kirik so quiet. He's usually so talkative."

"Kirik's not used to death like we are Bolan." said Garr. "Give him some time alone and he'll come back around."

Sakura was using chakra to enhance her hearing and was listening to Garr and Bolan as she 'wandered' away. ' _Good; if a high shinobi like Garr doesn't sense my henge then I have a little leeway. Of course they may not have met anyone outside their village that has ninja skills_ ….'

Acting somewhat traumatized, Sakura started quietly mapping the village so she could escape that night to the others.

' _We've got until tomorrow night to bust Princess Amira out_.' thought the rosette determined.

….

 **Imperial Capital, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

As the sun sank below the horizon, the Elite Seven packed their belongings in silence. They donned dark grey travelling cloaks for additional camouflage. By the time the sky was completely dark; the guards at the central watch tower were killed silently courtesy of Taeko and Najasho.

The group of seven all took different routes but eventually converged on the hidden tunnel that Guy had excavated with his Rare Suit. Guy was the first one on the scene and activated his shingu to open the tunnel. The others quickly entered in silence and Guy closed the tunnel entrance behind them. "Good job shrimps." said Najasho. "So far this operation is running smoothly. Guy, lead the way since you dug this tunnel."

Guy nodded. "It's about five hundred feet so everyone follow me. We'll surface inside an old warehouse and take it from there." The group moved quickly and came out in a warehouse full of crates. "This is the place." said Guy.

Green got out a map of the surrounding territories and what information they'd been able to gather at the Commonwealth Western Headquarters. "We need to go south from here. We'll be at the Capitol's southern border wall by dawn if we make good time. We'll have to avoid Commonwealth Army patrols though. Hopefully we'll be able to avoid regular citizens as well. We can't afford to be reported. There is a supply depot the border we can probably raid before we set out south. After that we'll live off the land on our way to the base at Kakachchi Lake where the Revolutionary Army is based."

Cornelia nodded and said in a determined tone, "Let's go then."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Jug Hram Village**

"You seem awfully down Kirik." said a heavy set man. He put his arm around the shoulders of Sakura in a friendly way and lead her towards a pub. "Come on in and we'll sit awhile."

Sakura had spent the past hours mapping every square foot of the Village and what she could see of the Temple. ' _This guy must be a good friend of Kirik to act so familiar. I'll play along_.' "Sure thing." said Sakura.

Soon Sakura was sitting with a number of others eating some sort of fish wrapped in seaweed along with some reddish colored wine. After a while everyone was talking and laughing. Sakura was carefully deflecting questions and learning people's names so she could interact with them properly….

An older, graying man said, "Here we go; premium marsh weed brought to us by the Old God!" He pulled out a pipe that looked like a saxophone and stuffed it with the Old God knows what before he lit it up on the fire. He took a major drag on the pipe before passing it to his nearest neighbor.

' _Oh gods! What_ _ **is**_ _this shit? It's terrible!'_ thought Sakura as she took a small drag on the pipe and exhaled the green smoke so it wouldn't be absorbed into her system." ' _If I wasn't trained by Tsunade-sama I'd be completely wasted. I have to get out of here_.' After three more rounds most of the crowd was baked and the air was tinged green. Sakura said, "Bathroom!" and stumbled out. Hiding in a dark corner outside the pub she dropped her henge and used her green healing chakra to purge her system of all the drugs. She exhaled and whispered to herself, "That was close. I have to get out of here. I've overstayed my welcome."

Sakura's emerald eyes widened when she heard the high shinobi Garr's voice around the corner. "I'd swear I felt ninshū energy being used around here. What's the source…?"

The rosette vanished in a body flicker up to the roof and quickly roof hopped across the Jug Hram Village to make good her escape. ' _They use the term ninshū for chakra which means they left around the time of the Sage of the Six Paths. I have to get back to the others_.' After several zigzags Sakura escaped the village and shot off to meet the others at the rendezvous point.

….

After taking a seemingly random rout Sakura met up with Naruto who was in his Toad Sage mode sitting on the ground at the base of a huge tree. Sakura tiredly said, "I'm lost on this highway to hell."

Naruto replied, "You aren't lost; this is the Devil's Highway."

The rosette sighed in relief at the correct password. "Mission accomplished Naruto. I'm low on chakra."

Naruto nodded and placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder and started filling her reserves with Kurama's chakra. "Did you find the Princess?"

Sakura answered, "She's being held up in their Temple. They are going to sacrifice her to their deity tomorrow night." Feeling her chakra restored she said. "I'm good Naruto. Let's head to the camp."

"How did you burn so much chakra Sakura-chan?" asked the blonde ninja concerned. "You were running on empty."

The pink haired medic said, "I was exposed to a lot of narcotics and had to use a huge amount of healing chakra to purge my system of all the drugs. After that I ran full tilt out of the village because one of them sensed my chakra."

"So that's why you smell like a smoke factory." chuckled Naruto. Seeing his teammate glaring at him Naruto said, "The main thing is you are safe Sakura-chan. Let's get you to camp where you can wash up and report what you found."

Sakura smiled at the genuine care in Naruto's voice. "Right. Let's head out Naruto."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

I've wanted to get this chapter out for a long time. Princess Amira looks like she's going to be a sacrifice to the local deity that may have dated all the way back to Kaguya's time. Of course they need a virgin but the Old God isn't too picky….or is he/she…? Meanwhile, the Elite Seven have made their move. Will they get away or be captured by the Commonwealth? Next chapter: Night Raid vs. the Jug Hram Shinobis. See you next time. Blue out. 3/28/17


	22. Chapter 22

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I finally got this one uploaded to my new computer so most of my primary stories are updated now. Here is chapter 22. Enjoy!

Last time:

 _After taking a seemingly random rout Sakura met up with Naruto who was in his Toad Sage mode sitting on the ground at the base of a huge tree. Sakura tiredly said, "I'm lost on this highway to hell."_

 _Naruto replied, "You aren't lost; this is the Devil's Highway."_

 _The rosette sighed in relief at the correct password. "Mission accomplished Naruto. I'm low on chakra."_

 _Naruto nodded and placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder and started filling her reserves with Kurama's chakra. "Did you find the Princess?"_

 _Sakura answered, "She's being held up in their Temple. They are going to sacrifice her to their deity tomorrow night." Feeling her chakra restored she said, "I'm good Naruto. Let's head to the camp."_

 _"_ _How did you burn so much chakra Sakura-chan?" asked the blonde ninja concerned. "You were running on empty."_

 _The pink haired medic said, "I was exposed to a lot of narcotics and had to use a huge amount of healing chakra to purge my system of all the drugs. After that I ran full tilt out of the village because one of them sensed my chakra."_

 _"_ _So that's why you smell like a smoke factory." chuckled Naruto. Seeing his teammate glaring at him Naruto said, "The main thing is you are safe Sakura-chan. Let's get you to camp where you can wash up and report what you found."_

 _Sakura smiled at the genuine care in Naruto's voice. "Right. Let's head out Naruto."_

….

Chapter 22

 **Imperial Continent, Southern Imperial Regions, Kakachichi Lake Village**

Tamashi Kaede and her twin brother Daisuke were searching Kakachichi Lake Village and were hoping to see signs of their Tamashi Ninja Clan brethren alive and well. They didn't know exactly where their cousin Taiki-sama set up his base and the lookout point the Tamashi ninjas were supposed to be using was abandoned. They were travelling under henge as nondescript villagers. Kaede sighed. "Well, if Taiki-sama surrendered then I suppose we should have expected this."

"I don't know nee-chan," said Daisuke. "There are lots of places to hide in this village. Let's prowl around some more before we try to infiltrate the base proper."

"I agree." replied Kaede. "I just don't want to walk into a trap if we can avoid it."

Daisuke was scanning around and said, "There don't seem to be any signs of the _Slayer of Mōryō_ either. I heard he wears orange to intimidate his foes."

"I don't know about that but we have to be on the lookout for Konoha ninjas as well little brother." said the elder of the pair. "We don't know how many are travelling with Uzumaki Naruto-sama at all."

"I just hope we catch him in a good mood." said Daisuke in a dour tone of voice.

Kaede frowned and said, "The best scenario would be to find one of our Tamashi clansmen and not find Uzumaki-sama at all…."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Night Raid's Camp**

After midnight Hinata was on sentry duty along with Leone when she heard something. The Hyūga Heiress activated her byakugan and saw thirteen Jug Hram Shinobi racing through the trees in the blackness. Another squad of twelve was in the distance. Hinata immediately triggered the silent seal that woke everyone before all hell broke loose. At the lead of the Jug Hram forces was Garr along with two other high shinobi. There were four middle shinobi and the remaining six were low shinobi that included Bolan. The group was moving fast and silent through the jungle when Night Raid sprang into action.

Garr unleashed a fireball jutsu only to have it blocked by a wall of ice. A second later Akame cleared the top of the ice barrier with the Murasame drawn she went for Garr only to be blocked by another high shinobi. "One slice kill." whispered Akame as she nicked the high shinobi's neck. The curse from the sword took his life seconds later.

Hinata was with Leone and was engaged hand to hand with several low and middle shinobi in taijutsu. Wave and Kurome joined them and the enemy shinobi found that they had their hands full.

The fastest of the high shinobi slipped around the ice barrier to attack Esdeath. He ran head on into Mein who shot him through the head with her Teigu Dreyse at point blank range.

Garr and the other high shinobi found themselves faced with Naruto and Sakura. Garr saw Sakura punch the ground and had to leap back to avoid the massive fissure. He was shocked when he saw Naruto body flicker behind the other high shinobi and slit his throat with a wind enhanced kunai. Garr looked up only to see Esdeath appear on top of her ice wall and unleash a blast of ice shards into the second squad of shinobi that was entering the fray as backup. One of them screamed "Angel of Death!" a second before he was cut down with his eleven comrades. Anyone from the second group who survived the initial assault from Esdeath were killed by a massive blade of wind from Naruto an instant later.

Garr quickly realized these were enemy _shinobi_ of some sort they were fighting. ' _We weren't prepared for this! We need to pull out_.' "Shinobi fall back!" he commanded.

"Eight trigrams: sixty four palms!" called out Hinata as she eliminated two mid level shinobi. Leone had already ripped two low shinobi to pieces and was after a third that Kurome cut down with Yatsufusa.

"Stone skin!" yelled one of the two remaining middle shinobi. Disobeying Garr he turned back to attack Night Raid. He was quickly crushed by Wave with his Grand Chariot.

The remaining four shinobi followed Garr and withdrew.

"Hold your grounds." ordered Najenda. "There may be more out there in the forest waiting in ambush." The one eyed general asked, "Hinata, can you see anything?"

Hinata focused her byakugan and said, "Other than those four retreating I see nothing. One of the low level ninjas was Bolan. I wasn't able to engage him unfortunately. He's the only one that could identify us."

Sakura said, "Their leader was Garr. He's a good sensor and highly ranked."

"Twenty-one were killed and four escaped." said Akame. "We should move our camp since they know where we are."

"Agreed." said Najenda. "Let's move people."

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Territory**

Najasho and the other members of the Elite Seven evaded detection and finally escaped the Capitol by passing through the gates of the south wall. "The best place to go from here is an area that is remote and hostile to outsiders. Father once told me that the Marg Highlands to the south is one of the places he trained himself." said Najasho. "I say we go there."

"Shouldn't we head straight to Kakachichi Lake?" asked Pony.

Taeko shook her head. "That's a very obvious path and if they send a hunting party after us they would send scouts that way. Najasho is right."

"I hope they think we made a run for the Empire's territory in the Capitol." said Cornelia. "To me that would make better sense given we are ex-Imperial Assassins."

Green adjusted his glasses. "For our own safety we have to assume we are being followed wherever we go for the time being. The Commandant may have already mobilized his forces to find us. The Marg Highlands sound good to me."

"I'm with Green." said Guy. "This place sounds like a challenge"

Tsukushi said, "As long as we keep moving we have a few hours lead on the Commandant. We should go Chief."

Najasho said, "If we're all in agreement then let's head out. We have a lot of ground to cover."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Night Raid's Camp**

It was dawn and the red sun peeked over the horizon. Night Raid was armed to the teeth….and waiting. The entire night had been a long series of ambush after counter ambush. The Jug Hram Shinobi were more plentiful than Najenda or Esdeath estimated and several members of Night Raid had been injured requiring Sakura and Hinata to patch them up. On the other hand the Jug Hram forces had suffered a frightful amount of losses. "The Shinigami has been busy tonight." said Naruto as he looked out into the forest from his perch in the trees. The stench of blood reeked everywhere in the humid morning air and predators and scavenger animals were fighting among themselves over the spoils.

Akame was fully healed from a slice across her midriff but was bruised up as everyone else was. She whispered over to Naruto from her perch, "We have to take the offense if we're going to rescue the Princess before tonight's sacrifice Naruto-kun."

Naruto turned to his beautiful red eyed mate and saw how tired she looked. "My shadow clones are scouting around Akame-chan. A frontal assault is too risky if we want to leave the civilians alive. Esdeath-chan wants to level the Jug Hram Village but I'm worried that Princess Amira will get killed in the crossfire."

"We may not have a choice." said Leone as she quietly joined them. Mein was with her. "Boss says it's time for Mein and I to take over guard duty. Get some food in you because we're moving out soon."

Akame nodded and Naruto came down from the trees while Mein and Leone took their places. Mein said as she shouldered Dreyse, "Better eat quickly; it could get hot again soon."

….

"Between Sakura and Chelsea we have an excellent map of Jug Hram Village." said Najenda. "Naruto's shadow clones are watching for guard rotations. We have until tonight to stop this sacrifice and rescue Princess Amira. Our options are infiltration or a frontal assault. Every one of us is worn down and beat up from last night so we aren't at our best."

"I can freeze the village in one shot." said Esdeath. "The civilians are expendable. We have to achieve our objective _now_ and I believe the enemy knows it. We're running out of time Najenda."

Najenda slowly nodded. "I'm afraid we are out of options. This _Old God_ could be a threat to the entire region provided it's even real."

….

 **The Temple of Jug Hram**

Garr was exhausted. "We've fought several pitched battles with the enemy shinobi last night. They are good; really good. We've inflicted losses on them but our own casualties have been appalling. They are used the fighting other shinobi; we are not. Perhaps we should try to negotiate with them."

The High Priest Dell shook his head and exclaimed; "We will fight them to the last man! The Old God's return is upon us and when he awakes he will smite our foes with ease! This is a trial of faith Garr!"

Garr looked at the High Priest mutinously. "There have to be some of us _alive_ for the Old God to return. There is no shame in a peaceful solution."

"I forbid it!" yelled Dell. "You will obey or be cast out of our faith for your cowardice."

The high shinobi glared and said, "Thy will be done…." and he stormed out.

….

Dell pondered to himself before making a decision. "We will make the sacrifice today instead of waiting till tonight. The Old God _will_ rise and destroy our enemies!"

His assistant Vicc said in a panicked tone, "You _know_ we have to wait until the moon is in alignment tonight your holiness! Doing the sacrifice in the daytime is courting disaster for our people!"

"It is the only way." said Dell with a tone of finality. "Garr and our forces are faltering. We must act before it is too late. Bring the sacrifice and prepare her for the ceremony."

….

Vicc was sweating heavily as he went to retrieve Princess Amira. ' _This is insane! If the Old God does awake he will be furious with us!_ '

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Lord Protector Honest welcomed his newest commander from the Frontier, General Heimer. The bloated politician managed to lure in several others with empty promises of wealth once the highly respected Heimer decided to join the Commonwealth. Honest had to pay a price for General Heimer's service of course; the coveted Teigu Incursio. Since Heimer was a large and muscular man and wanted Incursio _badly,_ (He had since Hundred Killer Bulat possessed it) Honest thought there might even be a possibility that Heimer could actually use the Incursio. Truthfully Honest didn't care one way or another as long as the Teigu bought Heimer and his follower's loyalty.

Honest presented the sword that was the key to Incursio to Heimer and said, "If there is anyone who can wield the legendary Incursio it is you Heimer. I know you will do me and the Commonwealth proud."

Heimer eyed the sword greedily as he accepted it. "With this I will become an even greater legend than I am now! Hundred Killer Bulat wasn't a tenth of the man I am! He'll be nothing but a pale imitation of me!"

The Lord Protector wanted to burst into laughter at Heimer's sheer arrogance. ' _What a pompous fool! He'll be so easy to manipulate that it's pathetic_.' "The birth of a hero of the Commonwealth begins today General Heimer! Let us toast that the Incursio is finally in the _proper_ hands my friend! Ahahaha!"

"I'll drink to that!" bellowed Heimer without knowing the potential monster resting in his hands. _Incursio….he truly had no idea_ ….

….

 **The Commandant's Office**

"What do you mean the Elite Seven are _ **missing?!**_ " screeched the Commandant at one of his subordinates. "Where are the guards that watched over them?! What about the night watchmen outside?"

"The guards are all dead at their stations sir." said the trembling officer. "The night watchmen said that nothing happened last night and that no one went in or out through any of the gates. None of them heard anything either."

The Commandant cringed. ' _This is a disaster if they were kidnapped or_ -' "What of the Elite Seven's rooms? Are there sighs of a struggle?"

"Their rooms are cleaned out sir." said the officer. "Our teams believe that the Elites left on their own."

The Commandant was in a panic now. ' _How could they have resisted the brainwashing? It's impossible!_ ' "How long have the station guards been dead?"

The officer was sweating heavily. "It's been at least eight hours sir; maybe more. Lights out was twelve hours ago. Forensics is still investigating."

"Summon the Captain of the guards." spat the Commandant through gnashed teeth. "Send him directly to me. It seems some of our little flock has strayed. It will cost them dearly…."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, The Temple of Jug Hram**

All the preparations for the sacrifice had been made in haste. The temple was dim except for the torches all around the altar. The handmaidens were chanting verses from texts so old that the original meaning had long been lost. High Priest Dell was going through the appropriate ceremonies and pouring libations to the Old God. Princess Amira was lying chained to the stone altar with a gag in her mouth staring in terror as Dell danced around her twirling a ceremonial dagger. She couldn't understand a word he'd been saying and was frightened out of her mind….

After an hour of chanting; some of the handmaidens began a twirling dance around the torches and sang a different chant which added to the cacophony ringing in Amira's pained ears. She tried to scream and struggle as the high priest stood above her with the ceremonial dagger clutched above his head in both hands. A small panel in the ceiling of the temple opened and the sun was directly above shining down into Amira's tear filled eyes. Dell's wild eyed expression was the last thing she saw as he plunged the dagger into her heart and ended her forever….

" _Let the Old God rise! Nothing can stop it now!_ " screamed the High Priest Dell at the top of his lungs.

Then the Temple of Jug Hram exploded killing everyone in it….

….

Night Raid watched from a distance in shock as the side of the mountain detonated and a tremendous rockslide completely obliterated the Village of Jug Hram below it. Najenda was the first to speak. "….What the hell just happened? They were supposed to do the sacrifice tonight….Did they just self destruct rather than face us?"

Mein was utterly dumbfounded as she looked through her scope to magnify the destruction. "The village is completely destroyed. The chances of any survivors are nil. Princess Amira is dead. We've completely failed."

Hinata zoomed in with her byakugan searching for any signs of chakra or life. "Mein is right. There is nothing left. King Malik will not be pleased."

"Let's get out of here." said Esdeath. "There is no reason to stay here with no one left to fight."

Najenda nodded and said, "Let's head back to the Village of Zlatan and plan our next move."

….

 **The Village of Zlatan**

Hours later; Night raid was south of Zlatan looking north at a scene that could only be described as chaos. The neutral trading town was obviously occupied by a foreign force. That foreign force was none other than King Malik's own Army. Chelsea transformed into a mega-owl and scoped out the situation since the Army might be searching for the (late) Princess Amira.

Chelsea landed at the center of town on a high perch so she could listen in….

"I can't believe King Malik is dead. Prince Marik has claimed the throne for himself and wants Princess Amira and her guards hunted down and eliminated." said one villager.

Another said, "The pictures look like that group that stayed at the in a few days ago but they went south from what old man Azal said. There was no sign of the Princess though."

"Rumor has it that Prince Marik had his own Father assassinated!" whispered a third villager. "The Prince has put out a kill on sight order for the guards. They go by the name of Night Raid."

"That's a strange name for an honor guard." said the first villager.

Chelsea eyed the wanted posters for Night Raid and saw they were a close match to those in the Imperial Capital. ' _There is treachery afoot. There is no way that this Prince Marik got that information without outside assistance. Night Raid has been betrayed somewhere along the lines. It has to have been someone in the Revolutionary Army chain of command. I have to report in to Boss and let her know what's going on_.'

….

Chelsea slipped back to Night Raid's current location at the edge of the Du Sang River in a large mangrove of trees. She landed and quickly reported to Najenda who was watching Zlatan Village carefully through a spyglass. Everyone was listening as Chelsea related her report. "This could have been the plan all along." said Esdeath. "When we didn't show up with Amira on schedule this Prince decided to come out and eliminate all of us instead of laying in wait. Someone at Revolutionary Army Headquarters fears us and convinced Prince Marik to destroy us."

"And Night Raid becomes Martyrs for the Revolutionary Army." said Mein in a flat tone. "How convenient."

Najenda growled, "We sure as hell aren't going to lie down and die like dogs even if we are trapped behind enemy lines. When we get back to headquarters at Kakachichi Lake heads will roll."

Esdeath had vengeance burning in her eyes. "It's probably because of me."

"We're all wildcards but I'm sure you are the primary target Esdeath." agreed Najenda.

"So what's our next move?" asked Leone.

Akame said, "We need to heal and recover from our battles at Jug Hram. We're in no shape to take on an enemy army."

"The best thing to do would be to withdraw to the south into the forests then." said Hinata. "There is plenty of uncontested space there."

Najenda's one purple eye glared angrily. "Then we'll withdraw south away from the river tonight."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Forested regions**

Night Raid set up camp near a lake in an unclaimed territory. According to their map it was a no man's land between two of the tribes. The lake was plentiful with fish and the danger beasts in the area were edible so Najenda was quite happy to lay low there for a while so they could fully recover.

"On the positive side we are healing up rapidly thanks to Sakura's and Hinata-chan's help." said Esdeath. "With as many broken bones as we had it could have taken a couple of months otherwise."

"Best of all there is lots of meat to eat here!" cheered Akame.

Kurome cheered as well. "Good food always makes things better!"

Naruto and Leone were out hunting and Wave was on guard duty. Wave was the only one who hadn't been injured (thanks to Grand Chariot) and both Leone and Naruto healed exceptionally fast so everyone else was relaxing. Sakura was also fully healed but was tired from patching up everyone else so she was sleeping peacefully in her tent.

Mein asked, "Shouldn't Chelsea be back by now? She's still out on reconnaissance."

Najenda blew a smoke ring from her cigarette. "Perhaps Chelsea found something interesting worth investigating. We can wait a bit longer."

Chelsea landed in her mega owl form about an hour later and went directly to Najenda. "Boss, Prince Marik's forces are battling the other local tribes for the control of Zlatan Village. It's absolute chaos up there and we are completely cut off from using the Du Sang River that we originally planned to use. For all intents and purposes we are trapped behind enemy lines."

Najenda growled, "Well shit." She got out their map of the region and said, "Draw me a picture Chelsea. I need to know details."

"I have a feeling that someone at the Revolutionary Army Headquarters is laughing at us." said Esdeath in a dark tone. "There will be a reckoning…."

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

"The Elite Seven have _escaped_ and you waited _three entire days_ to inform me?!" roared Lord Protector Honest at the Commandant. "You god damned fool! We invested a **_fortune_** in bringing them back from the dead; not to mention those shingus of theirs are priceless! Arrrrgh! Get out! Get out of my sight before I have you executed!" Honest nearly had an aneurism he was so enraged and it took him several minutes to calm down once the Commandant had left in haste. The Lord Protector thought to himself, ' _Those brats are worthless but their shingus are not. I need to get reliable help for this job_.'

Honest immediately thought of the Tamashi Clan. "Time to contact Toru and put him to work. Better yet I'll contact his son Tomiki. I haven't had a _fatherly chat_ with that lad in some time…."

….

Tamashi Tomiki was soon kneeling before Lord Protector Honest. "You summoned me my Lord?" he asked.

Honest said, "Rise my young friend. I did indeed summon you Tomiki. I have an extremely important job and I wanted to make sure you knew about it. Ordinarily I would simply have sent a memo to your Father but his….reliability….(sigh). Suffice it to say I want this job handled by the best and you _are_ the best. I'm afraid that a group of my assassins has turned upon me. They slew many of my loyal guards and stole some very precious weapons from me. I'm sure you understand the gravity of the situation. I was very fortunate that I was up late working instead of sleeping because there is evidence they broke into my bedchambers to take my life no doubt."

Once the slippery politician saw his words had the desired effect Honest said, "I have dossiers on these seven individuals and the seven shingus they stole." He handed Tomiki seven folders. "These traitors are dangerous in the extreme and my ordinary soldiers are simply no match for them. That's why I called upon _you_ Tomiki. You and your clan can do what my people cannot. I want these assassins hunted down and killed without mercy. Just as importantly I want the shingu weapons they stole from me recovered. Can you do this for me my boy? I feel like you are the only one I can count on now."

Tomiki preened under the blatant praise. "Consider it done my lord."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, the remains of the Temple of Jug Hram**

Deep in the remnants of the Temple of Jug Hram a consciousness slowly awoke from its long slumber. This was the Old God whose name was lost long ago to his followers…. ' _Those fools have awakened my spirit and Otsutsuki Ashura is nearby….Kaguya's own grandson! I've lain asleep for eons hoping that Otsutuski Clan's rule would have passed by. What's worse is the people who awoke me did not give me a body….I am just a spirit and if Ashura finds me he will smite me in a heartbeat. I need a new form to inhabit….If Ashura recognizes me I will surely be destroyed_ ….'

The spirit quietly withdrew deeper into the demolished ruins to hide from Ashura. ' _I must find a powerful body to inhabit. The bodies of my followers were all destroyed in the failed ceremony to bring me back….not that any were that useful anyway. A mere human body will not do. I need a form far beyond Ashura's comprehension_ ….'

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Forested regions**

Naruto awoke in his two man tent with a chill feeling of death in his soul. Esdeath stirred slightly in her sleep feeling Naruto's discomfort before she settled back down. The blonde silently used his sensory ninjutsu and felt Akame and Hinata resting peacefully in the next tent before he reached out and sensed all of Night Raid was safe. Kurome was awake on guard duty but everyone else was sleeping.

The Toad Sage reached within and spoke to his furry partner in crime, Kurama. ' _Hey Kurama, did you just feel something?'_

Kurama was already awake and had sensed the same thing as Naruto. **_'It felt like one of the ancient gods that Old Man Hagoromo told us about. He said Kaguya destroyed most of them for interfering with her plans for the world. They ruled humanity indirectly through bloodshed that Kaguya put a stop to from what I understand_**.'

' _So these gods thrived on hatred?_ ' asked Naruto.

' ** _The Old Man wasn't too specific_**.' said the ancient fox with a shrug. ' ** _He said he only faced one and destroyed it. Only two or maybe three survived the purge when Kaguya went after them. I don't know if they were a race or a clan or just some individuals that claimed to be gods. I know Ashura faced one down too. He later warned me that some may still exist. That's really all I know_**.'

' _This could be bad Kurama_.' said Naruto. ' _Do you think the Old God of Jug Hram was one of those?_ '

' ** _If it was then I can't sense it now_**.' said the Nine Tails. ' ** _Maybe it went back to sleep. Considering the current situation I don't think that there is much to be done about it. We're kind of stuck in enemy territory after all_**.'

' _I guess you are right Kurama_.' said the blonde. ' _We'll just have to wait and see what happens_ ….'

….

 **Southern Imperial Regions, Marg Highlands**

The next morning the Elite Seven reached their destination. "Take a break Shrimps." said Najasho tiredly. "We've been hard marching for a week and we are finally at the Marg Highlands."

The Elite seven looked around at the area and saw several high level danger beasts roaming about. The terrain was rocky with high plateaus and deep canyons as well as many sheer cliffs. All in all it didn't look to inviting. There had never been a permanent human population here and Najasho and the others could certainly see why.

"The air sure seems thin here." said Tsukushi. "What a harsh land."

Cornelia nodded. "This must be why Daddy trained himself here. It's a hostile environment to build ourselves up in."

"You've got that right." said Green with a shiver. "Some of these danger beasts I don't even recognize."

"We should get to work making a shelter." said Taeko. "There is no time to waste concealing our whereabouts. On the positive side we've picked up no signs we are being followed."

 _The seven young assassins had a lot of work to do_ ….

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Forested regions**

Night Raid was up and sitting around the fire as they all had a big breakfast. It had been three weeks since the Temple at Jug Hram had exploded and Naruto hadn't sensed anything more. The team was fully healed from their various injuries and had carried out several reconnaissance missions to figure out a way to get back home to Imperial territory. "Rather than follow the Du Sang River north to Zlatan on its west side we're going to cut back east towards Prince Marik's Kingdom and flank the army he has there. With the major conflict going on over in Zlatan we should be able to slip past the rear guard easily enough. After that we head north through what used to be the territory that belonged to the Ban Tribe. For better or for worse Esdeath and I are very familiar with the lay of the land there and should be able to find a path through."

"If we run into enemies there we should have the advantage given the amount of firepower our small group possesses." said Esdeath with a bloodthirsty smile. "Should anyone be stupid enough to cross us we'll deal with them appropriately."

Mein asked, "What are we going to do once we get back across the Imperial Border? Even if we head straight to Kakachichi Lake there is no guarantee we won't be among enemies."

Blowing out a puff of smoke Najenda said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm positive this isn't the doing of General Kleinwald though I suspect one or two members of his staff. At any rate a group as small as ours can easily hide in territory we are familiar with. We aren't going to expose ourselves at Kakachichi Lake until we know exactly what is going on."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

And done! A lot going on in this chapter with the many subplots going on. It turns out the whole trip down south was nothing but a trap for Night Raid all along. The Jug Hram Temple was totally destroyed and the entity known as the Old God apparently knew (or knew of) Otsutsuki Ashura. What does that portend? Honest is gathering more forces and Incursio has at last reappeared. Lastly the Elite Seven have escaped to the Marg Highlands but Tamashi Tomiki has the job of getting rid of them for good. Will he succeed? See you next time. Blue out. 6/10/17


	23. Chapter 23

_**Naruto: Trapped Under Ice**_

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm still job hunting so updates continue to be slow. Here is chapter 23. Enjoy!

[ ] Signifies hand signals

Last time:

 ** _Southern Tribal Lands, Forested regions_**

 _Night Raid was up and sitting around the fire as they all had a big breakfast. It had been three weeks since the Temple at Jug Hram had exploded and Naruto hadn't sensed anything more. The team was fully healed from their various injuries and had carried out several reconnaissance missions to figure out a way to get back home to Imperial territory. "Rather than follow the Du Sang River north to Zlatan on its west side we're going to cut back east towards Prince Marik's Kingdom and flank the army he has there. With the major conflict going on over in Zlatan we should be able to slip past the rear guard easily enough. After that we head north through what used to be the territory that belonged to the Ban Tribe. For better or for worse Esdeath and I are very familiar with the lay of the land there and should be able to find a path through."_

 _"_ _If we run into enemies there we should have the advantage given the amount of firepower our small group possesses." said Esdeath with a bloodthirsty smile. "Should anyone be stupid enough to cross us we'll deal with them appropriately."_

 _Mein asked, "What are we going to do once we get back across the Imperial Border? Even if we head straight to Kakachichi Lake there is no guarantee we won't be among enemies."_

 _Blowing out a puff of smoke Najenda said, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm positive this isn't the doing of General Kleinwald though I suspect one or two members of his staff. At any rate a group as small as ours can easily hide in territory we are familiar with. We aren't going to expose ourselves at Kakachichi Lake until we know exactly what is going on."_

….

Chapter 23

 **Imperial Continent, Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

General Heimer roared, " ** _INCURSIO!_** " for the first time and the Teigu's sword key activated forming the armored suit around him. The arrogant General cheered in victory but then noticed the armor as well as his body felt like they were made of lead. It was a struggle to even _move_ in the infernal armor. _'I'll have to start working out heavily to match Hundred-killer Bulat_.' thought Heimer. Not willing to show weakness to his troops Heimer deactivated Incursio and said, "It feels natural as can be! Finally I have a suit of armor worthy of a General!"

His men cheered for their leader and his astounding armor. They didn't notice how heavily their leader was sweating from the strain….

Honest watched from a distance on a balcony as he didn't come out in public in his wheelchair. He had binoculars to observe with. ' _Heimer is putting on quite a show though he barely has he energy to stand. What a fool_.' Honest smiled and thought, ' _Well, it is no matter. Five other Generals from the frontier have followed suit now that Heimer has joined the Commonwealth. They aren't the best and their troops aren't either but it is of little consequence. Right now I need manpower in quantity rather than quality_ ….'

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Forested Region**

Night Raid swiftly moved eastwards while remaining south of Prince Marik's armies. It was hard travelling through the inhospitable terrain but the area wasn't occupied by any particular tribe so Najenda and her group weren't as concerned about being spotted as they normally would have been. It was then they came upon a branch of Marik's army that strayed a bit too far south of the Calypse River….

General Kalba was in charge of Prince Marik's second division and a river flood forced them the head south into the uncontested areas that the local tribes referred to as the _Carrion Forest_. It was said entire armies vanished into the darkened forests down in the area. The General groaned as his men started to fidget due to superstitions about the red-orange colored tree leaves unique to that area….

" _The ground was soaked with blood in ancient battles and even to this day the darkened forests bloom crimson…."_ he heard in whispers from his men.

 _"_ _Even eating the fruits off the trees in the Carrion Forest will shorten your life it is said_ …." continued his men.

Kalba listened to his men chatter amongst themselves like frightened children. He got on a small raised area and announced too his men in a voice full of authority, "Gods, am I surrounded by warriors or superstitious old women? Once the river recedes we will cross back into our own territory. For now we will set up camp wait here."

An eagle screamed overhead….

….Then General Kalba's head exploded courtesy of a long range shot from Mein and her Teigu Dreyse. The men panicked and a massive wave of ice shards erupted from the sky in the south that tore flesh and bone alike as they rained down. A horde of orange clad blondes came out of the _Carrion Forest_ and cut down all in their path. Leone rode the wave of orange grinning wildly as she slew as many as she could. Wave was right behind her ready to crush any hardened defenses. Night raid had planned this attack all night and the team was _more_ than eager to cut loose.

"Stand and fight!" ordered a staff officer of Kalba's Army as he tried to rally his troops from a full scale rout. Akame appeared out of nowhere and killed him in an instant. She, Kurome and Mein were specifically taking out the officers to prevent any organized resistance.

A lower ranked officer screamed, "This is madness! Run for the river! The land itself is a nightmare calling out for us!"

Within two hours an entire division of a thousand men lay slain with looks of terror and disbelief etched upon their faces….

Najenda blew a smoke ring and said, "Let's move out. The predators in this area are already scenting all the blood."

Kurome was sitting atop a heap of bodies she'd slain. "What about their provisions? There is a lot here."

"Leave it for the predators." said Najenda. "We can easily live off the land. Information is for more important at this juncture."

Hinata was examining the command tent General Kalba had used with Sakura. The byakugan princess soon spotted what they were looking for –maps of the territory. "Jackpot! These are troop movements for the second wave of the campaign Marik has planned. The first wave has already passed us by." said Hinata.

….

By nightfall Night Raid set up camp eastward and upwind of the battlefield where Kalba's Army fell. Esdeath was looking at the plans they'd captured from Kalba's tent with Najenda. "It's as we suspected." said the light blue haired beauty. "Kalba and his division were never meant to be that far south of the Calypse River. It was due to unseasonal flooding."

Najenda nodded. "And we were able to capitalize on it. Naruto being a one man army is unbelievable. They never saw us coming….If we keep moving east along the Calypse River we'll be able to avoid the rest of the second wave and sneak across to the north."

Esdeath's blue eyes were gleaming with malice. "It's a shame we can't hunt down Prince Marik and take his head but it's for the best. When we cut northwards we'll be in the former Ban Tribe territory."

Outside Najenda's tent Akame was cooking up a feast over an open fire. Kurome was sitting with her sister as they carefully watched the danger beast they'd slain for dinner –A particularly fat and juicy evil bird. "What do you think Boss and General Esdeath will have us do next Akame nee-chan? Traveling completely around Prince Marik's territory will take a long time."

Akame stuck the bird with a skewer to see if it was done yet and was disappointed that it wasn't quite ready. "Boss acted like we were going to cut through the lines to the former Ban Tribe Territory when the opportunity arises. I guess it depends on where the enemy troops are. As small as our group is it shouldn't be too difficult to slip through a gap in the lines."

….

 **Southern Imperial Regions, Revolutionary Army Headquarters**

General Estaban and General Esther were on General Kleinwald's Staff. Estabon was the Chief of Staff to be precise. They were having a secret meeting about the situation in the Southern Tribal Lands….

"I'm telling you Esther, the situation in the South has backfired!" said General Estabon as he ran a finger over his moustache. "Those old, outdated guns and equipment we sold to Prince Marik in exchange for Night Raid's heads and an alliance is a failure. Instead of gaining an ally in the South the Prince overthrew his Father and declared war on the neighboring kingdoms. It was all supposed to be covert. Now the Southern Tribes are in disarray and we have nothing to show for it."

Esther rested her chin in the palm of her hand. Her fading brown hair was windblown and it looked like the fifty year old woman hadn't slept recently. "This is just a setback. We don't necessarily need southern support. The real problem is Kleinwald. He's a reformist rather than a revolutionary. He's even considering peace talks with the Empire to destroy the Commonwealth. I won't be happy until the entire Imperial Capitol is razed to the ground!"

The Chief of Staff nodded. "Najenda and her little group support Kleinwald. Until we have proof Night Raid has been eliminated we don't dare make a move against him. Kleinwald is a lot of things but he isn't stupid."

"What about the report of the Jug Hram Mountain exploding in the deep south?" asked the brown haired woman. "Night Raid was supposed to be there according to our reports. Prince Marik has already written them off as deceased."

"We'll just have to get our emissaries down there to urge Prince Marik to find the proof we need that Night Raid is dead." said General Estaban. It's that or sending them down personally. We're playing a waiting game and we're running out of time….

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Calypse River Bridge**

….After a three day journey east Night Raid was watching from a distance to the south as a small guard contingent took their place at the end of a long, narrow wooden suspension bridge that spanned the Calypse River. "Well, it took us three days to get here but as expected the area is basically unguarded by Prince Marik's forces." said Najenda. "The second wave has moved on and we have a straight shot through Marik's Kingdom for a short time. There are small guard stations at either end of the bridge we'll have to take out to enter the Kingdom."

Naruto, Hinata and Sakura were walking on the bottom of the bridge upside to capture the guard station on the north end of the bridge. There were a string of guard stations along the road into the kingdom that stayed in touch by simple torchlight. If a torch was put out it meant trouble and the neighboring guard stations would know there was an issue and respond to it. It was the ninja's job to take the north end of the bridge without alerting anybody so the rest of Night Raid could the south end shortly afterwards.

Hinata looked upwards though the bridge at the guard station with her byakugan. She hand signed the others, [Three guards outside, one inside the guardhouse and one on the roof with the torch.]

Sakura replied [Take the one on the roof Hinata. Naruto and I will take the outside guards from either side.]

Naruto asked, [What about the inside guard?]

[I'll probably finish first and eliminate the inside guard.] signed Hinata. [I plan to drop down the ladder through the hatch in the roof so I can take care of him.]

Naruto nodded. [If he rabbits Sakura or I can get him. The main thing is keeping the torch lit.]

Naruto went right and Sakura went left to sight their prey. A second later Hinata disappeared in a body flicker.

The guard on the roof had his throat slit in silence by Hinata while Sakura and Naruto did the same with the side guards. Naruto moved like clockwork and slew the guard at the front of the guard post a second later. Hinata body flickered inside and killed the last guard with a juken strike. It was all over within 30 seconds….

Mein was watching the whole debacle through her scope. ' _Damn they are efficient_.' "The north guard station is captured boss." said the gun toting pinkette.

"Let's make our move then.' said Najenda "Akame, Kurome, you are up. Keep it quiet. Mein, take out the one on the roof by the torch."

Mein had the silencer on Dreyse equipped and waited for the sisters to make their move. Akame and Kurome attacked simultaneously from the nearby bushes and took out the three outside guards in an instant. By that time the guard on the roof was dead from a headshot courtesy of Mein. The last guard inside tried to climb to the roof to reach the torch but Mein got him the minute he emerged from the roof hatch. Akame signaled ' _All clear_ ' to the others and the rest of Night Raid was soon crossing the bridge at an easy pace. Once the group cleared the bridge they were in Prince Marik's Kingdom and went into the foliage on the north side for cover….

….

 **Southern Imperial Regions, Marg Highlands**

The Elite Seven had worked hard constructing a shelter that was safe and defensible. Fortunately they were taught well by their "Father" Gozuki about such things. It had been rough but everyone was doing well and getting stronger every day. Getting into a routine the Elite Seven were training hard throughout the day as they lived off the land. The danger beasts in the area were exceptionally treacherous but they also were edible which meant the young assassins were well fed. Cornelia and Tsukushi were preparing some dinner as they discussed their current situation.

"Living here isn't that bad really." said Tsukushi. "I like it here even though it's harsh."

Cornelia smiled. "Najasho says another month here and we'll be headed to Kakachichi Lake to see Akame-chan. I hope she is well."

"I wonder if she is stronger now Corey." said Tsukushi conversationally.

"According to the Commandant she was the most dangerous and feared assassin in the Empire before she defected." said Cornelia. "She might have surpassed Daddy by now and he was a Raksasha Demon."

Tsukushi's eyes widened. "Do you really think Akame-chan could be at that level?"

The tall blonde nodded. "Akame-chan had years to get stronger while we were dead. I don't see why not. I can't wait to see her."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, The Kingdom of Prince Marik**

General Estaban and General Esther's emissaries were in a bit of a quandary. Their leader Arvid was less than thrilled with his orders. "General Estaban and General Esther have ordered us to go south to Jug Hram in order to ascertain whether or not Night Raid is indeed dead as Prince Marik assumes. Negotiations with Prince Marik to send his own forces down to that region have met with failure." The tall, square jawed man looked at his group and said, "It looks like we're heading south whether we like it or not."

"We're a diplomatic team; not regular troops!" exclaimed one of his men. "What do we do if Night Raid survived? Those people are monsters. They could destroy us in a heartbeat!"

Another spoke up. "We'll be travelling through contested territory as well. Other tribes may try to hunt us down. It's too dangerous for us."

Arvid said, "We have our orders and we will carry them out. As for Night Raid; if we do discover survivors then we will simply say we are a rescue party sent by the Revolutionary Army to retrieve them. They would have no reason to suspect us. Now man up and pack your things. We set out at dawn tomorrow."

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

Tamashi Tomiki was personally leading the hunt for the Elite Seven. His Father Toru-sama had been less than thrilled that Lord Protector Honest went behind his back to Tomiki instead of him. However, the Clan Leader wasn't oblivious to the situation. ' _My son Tomiki can no longer be trusted. I don't know if he is personally scheming or if Honest is behind it. I doubt Tomiki has the ambition to usurp my position but Honest would in a heartbeat. It's time for the Tamashi Clan to make a move_ ….'

….

Tomiki had some of the better trackers from the clan and was investigating the former quarters of the Elite Seven looking for clues. The trail was fairly cold given how many days it had been but they eventually uncovered the tunnel that Guy dug to allow the Elites to escape….

"I found something Tomiki-sama!" called a tracker. "It looks like an escape tunnel."

"Good job Hideki!" exclaimed Tomiki. "Let's clear the opening and see where it leads."

"As you command Tomiki-sama." replied Minoru. "Get some earth types over here! We need to clear a tunnel."

The Tomiki's group was slowly making progress….

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, The Kingdom of Prince Marik**

"We've covered a lot of ground today." said Naruto. "We need a place to camp for the night."

Esdeath nodded and pulled out the maps they captured. "There are no towns or villages for miles. We'll be safe from patrols as long as we stay away from the roads….there don't seem to be any large danger beasts in the area to hunt either…." The light blue haired beauty sounded disappointed.

The blonde ninja grinned. "Don't worry Esdeath-chan. I'm sure there will be all kinds of beasts once we get into Ban Tribe Territory. No one has been there to keep predators in check for years from what you and Najenda have said."

The light blue haired beauty smiled. "I'm sure you're right Naruto-kun. I just have to be patient."

As the sun fell Night raid quickly set up a camouflaged camp on a forested hillside and had a quiet dinner. The forests in the area were remarkably quiet and still.

"This is unnerving." said Leone. "It's too quiet here. My instincts are on edge."

Najenda put out her cigarette. "We'll double the guard tonight then. Does anyone want to team with Leone?"

"I will keep Leone company." said Sakura. "I'm feeling restless myself."

"Alright; everyone else hit the sack." said Najenda. "Switch off in three hours."

Naruto settled in his two man tent with Hinata. The two of them were soon making out as quietly as they could when they heard something break and then a crash outside…. _'Damn it_ ….' thought the two lovers.

All of Night Raid was awakened by the noise and soon were outside their tents….they all heard yelling in the distance….

….

"I can't believe that tree collapsed! It must have been rotted inside." exclaimed a male voice in the dark. "Of all the trees I had to pick…."

"Be quiet Gin!" said another voice in a loud whisper. "That crash would have awakened the dead!"

"But Arvid-" said the now named Gin. "-There shouldn't be anyone for miles."

Leone was in her Lionelle form to hear better and was listening in….

"All this damn misery just to make sure Najenda and her troupe of murderers are dead." griped Gin. "We should trust Prince Marik that they died down at Jug Hram and call it good."

Arvid growled. "You know we are under orders to make sure they are dead. The Revolutionary Army doesn't need their kind anymore."

….

Leone's gold eyes narrowed and she headed back to the camp. _'I want them to die choking on their screams!_ ' thought the cat like woman. ' _I've got to tell boss!_ '

….

In the darkness Leone reported what she'd observed to the fully awake Night Raid. "And that's what I heard. We were set up."

Esdeath growled. "I can't say I'm surprised….We need to capture them and torture the information out of them."

"How many were there Leone?" asked Najenda.

"I counted ten by scent but I only saw eight." said Leone. "They had standard rifles but weren't dressed as regular troops. The way the one was carrying on he sounded like a damn politician."

Hinata peered over the hill and activated her byakugan. "I see ten. They seem to be arguing pretty heatedly."

"If they are paying attention to each other then they aren't watching around them." said Naruto. "Let's take them now while they are distracted."

Wave nodded. "Let's knock them out and interrogate them."

"Surround them and take them down." said Esdeath. "Let's move."

….

Arvid woke up with a splitting headache. The sun was up and the last thing he remembered was feeling a blow to the back of his head late last night….

"….I see you are awake." said a female voice. Arvid found himself staring down the barrel of Dreyse with Mein eagerly smiling at him. He shivered at the murderous glee in the pinkette's eyes.

Sakura came over and put her foot on Arvid's chest. She said, "I remember you from the Tamashi incident. I thought you were on General Estaban's staff but your buddies confirmed it. General Najenda isn't too thrilled with the situation that you put us in." The diplomatic team leader squirmed at the pressure from Sakura's foot on his chest as she increased it. "Don't bother to try to escape. You are securely tied up with ninja wire."

They heard Gin scream in the background and Mein said, "You are next hero boy. General Esdeath will make you sing like a bird. I'm afraid General Estaban and General Esther just moved to the top of Night Raid's shit list."

Akame came over and emotionlessly said, "You woke up just in time. If you talk freely you won't suffer like the others did."

Somehow the look of cold death in Akame's red eyes scared Arvid even more than Mein aiming Dreyse at him. Sakura leaned down and hauled Arvid up effortlessly before she set him on his feet and nudged him forward. She simply said, "Move."

The diplomatic team leader walked forward and saw the pile of bodies that were once his team. Arvid cringed and saw Esdeath sitting on a rack and Najenda leaning against a tree smoking.

Najenda said, "I was beginning to wonder when you'd come back to the land of the conscious. I'm afraid this just isn't your day Commander Arvid. I figure you know more than your friends about Chief of Staff Estaban's plans regarding General Kleinwald so start talking. It doesn't matter if it's the easy way or the hard way."

"Do try to resist." said Esdeath in a sinister tone. Arvid shivered at her killing intent….

….

The Chief Diplomat fell over dead with an ice spike sticking out of his heart. Esdeath said conversationally, "He was tougher to break than he looked. It's a shame about his team vanishing into nothingness though. I guess Estaban won't ever find the remains."

Najenda blew a smoke ring. "So General Kleinwald is considering a temporary truce with the Empire and Chief of Staff Estaban and General Esther have decided to eliminate him. They made a big mistake there. They've made an even bigger mistake trying to kill us though."

Chelsea asked, "So what's our next move boss? This kind of treachery doesn't belong in the Revolutionary Army."

….

 **Southern Imperial Regions, Marg Highlands**

Najasho surveyed his troops. "Alright shrimps; we are definitely progressing but it's not going as fast as I'd like. It looks like it's going to take the full month so we still have at least a couple of weeks before we move out."

"But we're stronger than ever Najasho!" exclaimed Guy.

Taeko said, "That may be the case but there are always stronger opponents. Even another month here might be to our advantage Chief."

"I'm not inclined to stay longer than necessary but I think Taeko is right." said Green. "As long as we aren't discovered by the Commonwealth we should be safe here."

Pony grinned. "I like this place but I want to see Akame-chan again. Come to think of it; we've been dead and all. Won't Akame be a bit spooked?"

Najasho shrugged. "Leave that to me and Cornelia to figure out. It's too much for your brain to handle shrimp." The Elite Seven's leader said, "Let's call it a night and get an early start tomorrow."

….

 **Imperial Capitol, Commonwealth Western Headquarters**

General Heimer collapsed on the floor in his room sweating. Incursio wore him out completely within ten minutes. ' _They say a commoner will be killed by merely donning Incursio. I can believe it. I'm in superb shape and I feel like my soul has been sucked out. I swear I will master you Incursio -even if it takes years!_ ' He chuckled. "Heh, I don't know why I'm concerned. This armor was destined for me."

Heimer grabbed a drink and briefly looked over the map of the Imperial Capital. He saw that the south and east were occupied by the Empire. Heimer was arrogant as sin but he knew strategy. "Emperor Makoto has a formidable line of defense. I wonder if the Revolutionary Army would be willing to join us. The Army of the North would be a formidable asset as well. They really aren't necessary to guard the frontier against the Northern Tribes. They also are a much better army than mine thanks to Esdeath's training all those years ago….The leader in charge of them is General Knoke. I wonder if I could convince him to join us….The Northern Army is still feared. Surely Lord Protector Honest would agree such a superb army would be a huge advantage to the Commonwealth. Knoke is an old classmate of mine anyway…."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Former Ban Tribe Territory**

Night Raid crossed through Prince Marik's Kingdom over a few days of hard marching northwards and soon were at the north border in the former Ban Tribe Territory. For the most part it was considered an unoccupied buffer zone between the Southern Tribes and the Empire….

Najenda sighed looking at the devastated land and shuddered at the memories. Esdeath's Army destroyed the Ban Tribe where others had failed. The one eyed General didn't want to be here.

For her part Esdeath wasn't fazed in the least. The Ban Tribe was a strong group of opponents but her Army was stronger. The light blue haired beauty had no regrets.

"Quite the no man's land." quipped Naruto. "Are there any people around Hinata-chan?"

Hinata scouted around with her byakugan and said, "There isn't anyone here but us and the danger beasts."

"That means plenty of food for us." said Akame as she and Kuromes stomachs roared in unison.

Mein sweat dropped. ' _Good grief, sisters with synchronized stomachs_ ….'

….

 **Southern Imperial Regions, Revolutionary Army Headquarters**

It had been a taxing day and Chief of Staff Estaban was having another meeting with General Esther. Estaban had a chill up his spine and wondered why. "We have yet to hear back from Commander Arvid and his group about Night Raid's fate and Prince Marik is useless to our cause. I'm concerned."

General Esther shook her head. "Arvid's capable if nothing else. It could be another two weeks before we hear from him. You worry too much General Estaban."

Estaban sighed. "Najenda is bad enough. Teaming her with Esdeath and you have an unstoppable force. I fear that mountain exploding wasn't enough to kill Night Raid. I guess I'm just being paranoid."

"We could advance our timetable to get rid of General Kleiwald." said the brown haired woman.

"Not until we are _absolutely sure_ Najenda is dead." said Estaban in an iron tone. "She and her Night Raid are far more dangerous than most armies….add in Esdeath and we have a potential disaster. We aren't making a move until we know Night Raid is no longer a factor."

….

 **Southern Tribal Lands, Former Ban Tribe Territory**

Esdeath was sitting with Naruto by the fire with the rest in Night Raid's camp. "Getting a message to Kleinwald would probably be in our best interest at this point." said the light blue haired beauty.

"Once we sneak across the border into Imperial Territory we may send a message ahead by bird." said Najenda. "The question is how to get it to him without his General Staff finding out."

"I could fly up there using Gaia Foundation to turn into a mega owl." said Chelsea.

"That's one possibility." agreed Wave. "It should probably be someone from the original Night Raid regardless because the rest of us aren't fully trusted."

Kurome said, "That leaves Chelsea, Mein, Leone and Akame nee-chan unless General Najenda goes herself."

"We should stick with stealth when we go into Imperial Territory." said Akame seriously. "Until we're sure General Kleinwald is alive and in charge it's a risk exposing any of us."

"What if they try to trap us?" asked Leone. "I'm not going to die because of some traitors in our ranks."

"No kidding." said Mein. "We can't trust anyone outside of our team right now."

Hinata smiled and said, "If nothing else we could assassinate General Estaban and General Esther. That wouldn't allow us to expose the whole ring though."

"If we cut the head off the snake the body will die." said Wave.

"Not necessarily." said Najenda. "We don't know how big of a group is against Kleinwald and the Revolutionary Army is already short on leaders. We need to tread very carefully. There is already a civil war in the Empire. We don't want one in the Revolutionary Army as well…."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, another chapter in the books. We now know Chief of Staff Estaban and General Esther are behind the trap Night Raid Ended up in. How will that situation be resolved? General Heimer finally has the coveted Incursio only to find out he can hardly move in it. (Sucks to be him). Several different forces are on the move now and Night Raid is stuck in the middle. See you next time. Blue out. 8/24/17


End file.
